I started traveling with a new position and my first assignment was to shadow a mature, retired Marine Colonel. You may have heard it said that “there is no such thing as a retired Marine.” Ultimately, once they have had the discipline and experience drilled into them they never go back. I’ll call him “Jay”, and Jay taught me a lot about traveling and developing habits and routines that would enable me to always find my rental car keys, paperwork, the next hotel, and clean bathrooms. In the days before smartphones and GPS systems being everywhere, we used maps to get from one place to another. “If you ever think you’re lost,” he said, “its because you haven’t gone far enough.”
I was thinking about this pearl of wisdom this week and realized how it is such a simple yet valuable lesson. It has happened several times when I thought I was lost; or had gone too far; maybe missed the turn; when I remind myself of this principle. If I THINK I am lost or on the wrong road, just go a little bit farther down the road. The feeling of moving in the direction of a goal when we aren’t getting enough feedback, will sometimes make us think we are on the wrong track or maybe we should turn around. Don’t give in! Keep on going in the direction of your dreams. If you are unsure, keep going. Soon you will KNOW WITH CERTAINTY whether you are on the right track or not. Just go a little bit further!