I used to think that life required a crystal ball. That you needed to see all ends, every pitfall, and every eventuality before starting a project. This applied to anything and everything. I’d leave no stone unturned anticipating every potential problem before getting started. What if this happened? What if that happened? What it this person took what I wanted to say the wrong way, how would I handle that scenario? It took me quite a while to realize that this isn’t very productive. I didn’t need a crystal ball to see all the ends. I really needed a compass.
Try as you might, you can’t really ever figure out every single detail in life before you begin anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s starting a business, writing a book, having a family, or buying a lawnmower. You can’t have it all figured out before beginning. If you think you do have it all figured out, life will have a way of showing you how wrong you were.
Be prudent. Be smart. But don’t let your careful study slow you down or turn into analysis paralysis that prevents you from starting something big and important.
Life really requires a compass, not a crystal ball. Simply point yourself in the right direction and start going. Then check the compass regularly to make sure you’re still heading where you want to go. It requires faith, persistence, and the ability to throw caution to the wind. But all you need to do is pick a direction and move toward it consistently over time. See it in your mind as clearly as if it was happening right at this very moment. And every once in a while, look down at your compass. Make course corrections if necessary.
It’s like taking a road trip in the old days with your family. You didn’t know every single wayside and gas station you’d hit on your trip. You just knew you wanted to go to Florida. So, you packed up the kids, threw in some sunscreen, sandals, and beach towels, and off you went. Then you kept heading south until you saw the ocean.
The future really is now. Columbus didn’t know what he would find in the new world, he just knew he needed to head west. Check your compass.
