When I was in Little League, I was transformed from being an outfielder and an occasional third baseman into a catcher.
Our aging receiver was moving up to Pony League, so the always forward-thinking manager and coach of the Dodgers, started to groom me to take over, which I did with relish and some distinction for two years.
Along the way, I had a blast because you may or may not know this: Catchers rule the game of baseball.
When a coach has confidence in us, he or she lets us position the fielders, call for the pitches we think are appropriate from one moment and situation to the next, and really control much of the pace of the game.
Before long, I could size-up an opposing player from how he walked up to the plate, where he positioned his feet and the way he took his practice swings. Then, I’d call for specific pitches to ideal locations to exploit his weaknesses.
Most of this was intuitive, but it was based on real world data, as I rapidly interpreted and adjusting to the behaviors batters revealed to anyone who paid sufficient attention.
Later, when practicing martial arts, I’d refine this opponent-analysis a significant amount, enabling me to earn a Black Belt in Kenpo Karate after eight years.
What I’ve found is the same perceptual ability to size-up an opponent’s intentions and likely behaviors serves me well in traffic, as a driver. When I turn on my attention, I can almost perfectly predict who will try to cut in front of me, suddenly make an un-signaled lane change, or stop abruptly.
Occasionally, my awareness can “see around corners,” and I’ll feel it’s important to slow down to a near crawl, and when I do, sure enough, there is a disabled vehicle or other obstacle awaiting me that comes into view, that I have more than enough time to avoid crashing into.
I believe we all have an innate version of Roadway ESP, but we just haven’t activated it.
The next time you’re in traffic, deliberately start predicting what the drivers to the sides, the rear, and front are going to do next.
You’ll come to see certain cars getting WIDER within their lanes, and this will often be a precursor to a lane change, sudden or not.
Your eyes might become fixed in the rearview on an approaching car that is heading toward you at too fast a clip, and this will induce you to move forward a little or to the side to give him room to miss you.
This happened to me in Florida, two days ago, and sure enough, if I hadn’t peeled to the left, a pickup would have smashed into me. After the near miss, another driver, encamped at the traffic signal saw what had happened and just shook his head in disbelief.
I’m convinced everybody has Roadway ESP to at least some extent, so use yours, and you’ll enjoy safer motoring!
Best-selling author of 12 books and more than 900 articles, Dr. Gary S. Goodman is considered "The Gold Standard"--the foremost expert in sales development, customer service, and telephone effectiveness. Top-rated as a speaker, seminar leader, and consultant, his clients extend across the globe and the organizational spectrum, from the Fortune 1000 to small businesses. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com
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