The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving” [Oliver Wendell Holmes].
We’ve all heard, and probably have quoted it ourselves: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Doesn’t that sound idealistic? Wouldn’t it be grand if life really worked out that way? The truth is that I’ve never experienced it myself and, in fact, I’ve rarely seen it happen for others.
Regardless if we are striving to climb the next rung on the corporate ladder, embark on a new career, begin a new business, or explore an exciting opportunity, it’s next-to-impossible to continually move in a straight line from here . . . to . . . there.
“Opportunity follows struggle. It follows effort. It follows hard work. It doesn’t come before” [Shelby Steele].
I have overheard people say, “You can’t get there from here.” Which really just means to be prepared to travel somewhere else before you can arrive at your destination. It’s those detours that often throw us for a loop. We are so focused on getting “there,” that we are perplexed when a roadblock and corresponding “Detour” sign appears in our path.
I am familiar with this subject of detours. One year ago, I was eagerly anticipating my future. I had just completed my business degree and was enjoying a fulfilling and profitable career with my employer. Less than four months later I was unemployed; I had become another statistic of a corporate restructure. I had encountered a detour.
“The really happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery when on a detour” [Unknown].
Detours can appear as many different things: budget cuts, layoffs, relocations, illness, realignments, accidents. It doesn’t matter how or when a detour arrives in your life, the result is the same: it’s time to consult the map, your route has changed.
“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune” [William James].
How we view and respond to unexpected circumstances determine what happens next. If we wallow around in self-pity, blaming the detour on God, or the government, or our parents, or our [former] employer, or whatever, we waste valuable time and undermine our own self-worth. Progress is crippled and valuable opportunities are often missed because of fear, inaction, and poor attitudes.
“The longer we dwell on our misfortune, the greater is their power to harm us” [Voltaire].
On the other hand, if we view the detour as an opportunity to experience new adventures, meet new people, travel to exciting destinations, and learn new information then, perhaps, it’s not a useless detour after all. Maybe, if we embrace the the change and look for the benefit in it, we can turn the unexpected into the unbelievable. If we view the detour as an opportunity for growth, we can turn a routine commute into the trip of a lifetime!
“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security” [Gail Sheehy].
If we will commit to turning the detours into the dynamic, and learn to turn disappointments into stepping stones, we may just discover that the new road is much more exciting and fulfilling than the original trip we had planned.
Max De Pree said, “We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” Sometimes, it takes an unexpected detour to shake us out of the ordinary and send us down the road to extraordinary.
“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas” [Shirley Hufstedler].
Whatever you are, be a good one!
Deanna
