I left home when I was a teenager and needed all the help I could get. The biggest help came from advice my mother gave me. She drove me to the airport and whilst lost in thought when finding my way, she told me to look around me, to look up and find a sign. Surely, there would be signs to tell me where I have to go… and yes, there were signs and plenty of them. I had no trouble finding flight and start a new life.
This advise has been the best advise I ever received. I still use it to this day when I need a pointer in the right direction. Of course, the use of smartphones has reduced the need for physical signs somewhat. However, there are enough situations when I’m not clear where to go or which path to follow e.g. when trying to find my way to the correct room at university on the first day. In these cases, I always go back to the original premise: look for a sign.
Also when travelling, even if I don’t speak or read the language, it helps to have a map and compare the symbols and names to what I see in the real world.
Besides, since I started looking around more often, I now often see signs, posters, notifications which I find interesting or sometimes even impact my life. One example was a small note on the building entrance informing me that the water will be shut off next Friday morning and the exact start and end time. Another one was advertising the local Santa run in December which I wouldn’t have found out about any other way. It pays off to look around.
Try it for a week and see what signs you notice if you look out for them.