Late last month, while I was at a client event in Edmonton AB, winter arrived in all its fury! Now I shouldn’t be surprised, I do live in Canada after all 🙂 . But an unexpected snowy mishap gave me a chilly lesson in achieving goals – a freezing reminder of why it’s important to be pointed in the right direction if you want to get to your intended destination! Let me explain.
Overnight, in a matter of less than twelve hours, over a foot of snow had fallen in the city. In the morning, I drove from my hotel to the event location and pulled into the parking lot … which was covered in deep and heavy snow. As I pulled into a spot, my car got stuck. I tried in vain to alternately go both backward and forward, but the wheels spun uselessly and I could not get out. After about 10 minutes of trying all the driving “tricks” most Canadians are familiar with, I finally braved the sub-zero temperature to get out of my car and take a closer look at the problem. I noticed right away that my wheels were not straight; they were still in the same “turned” position as when I pulled into the spot. I got back in the car, straightened my wheels and tried again. And this time, with a little bit of rocking back and forth, I was able to pull out of the snow rut.
Isn’t it amazing how something as simple as facing the right direction will get you to your intended destination a lot faster? Not just true for getting out of a snow rut, but also accurate for most things in life as well, I suspect!
So what examples do you have for this truism at work? Please share them by adding a Comment below.