What can repentance be compared to?

Paul Thompson explains in this video that repentance can be illustrated by a vehicle driving in one direction and then making a 180-degree turn. Repentance does not involve continuing to live the same life that you used to live and following the same, sinful patterns. 

Rather, repentance is marked by a complete change in action and in thinking. Repentance involves the taking of deliberate action as opposed to aimless, purposeless action.

Mark 8:34 (NKJV) – “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” 

It's like you're driving down the road and you realize that you've left something behind, and so we must stop the direction we're currently going, and we must realize that we're not going to be able to get to where we want to be if we continue to go in this direction. Because the holiness of God has been shown to us, we must stop going after our sinful cravings, and we must completely turn around and go after holiness.