Time to change course?

Why do we fail to change course even when we know the path we are on isn't giving us the results we desire?

I knew within a few weeks of starting my doctoral degree studies at SU that it wasn't the right program for me. All the signs were there, but I stayed for 3 semesters before putting the degree on hold. Why spend time and money if I knew it wasn't the right course?

Some of it was optimism. Maybe I was wrong and the fit would get better with time. Maybe the courses they told me would be available would open up at a later semester.

Some of it was hubris. It didn't matter what I was or wasn't getting from the classes, I could make it work.

Some of it was not wanting to admit being wrong. I was so certain SU was the right choice and I had told everyone what a great choice it was. I didn't want to be wrong in the face of my friends and family

Not about this.

As each day and week passed, I became more entrenched in this course and my desire to see it through became stronger and stronger. The path forward became more and more impassable and rather than admit error and turn back....I trudged forward.

At no point was I willing to acknowledge the reality that was plainly visible.

Once you have committed to a path, it's hard to change directions. Once you have mentally figured it out, we tend not to see other options, or worse, we see them and dismiss them because of our investment in the oath we are in. We become less and less willing to consider other options, or as Adam Grant suggests, to think again.

A few weeks ago, Steph and I were driving back from dinner in Washington, PA. It was off the main road a little bit and on the way home, I decided I knew the area well enough to drive home without GPS. Turns out I did not. A trip that usually takes 30 mins ended up taking almost 2 hours!!!

The worst part was that we both had functioning phones in the car. However, I became so invested in finding my way home without GPS (just the Compass built into the car) that I didn't want to use the resources at my disposal.

I was unwilling to think again, or see the plan from another angle. At any point in the two hour journey, I could have said, "this isn't working, I should turn on the GPS," but I didn't. It wasn't until Steph got frustrated and turned on hers that we finally started home.

Isn't that the way of it sometimes. There are moments when we are so committed to a path and our tunnel-vision has taken over, that we need someone else to push us to rethink. Who knows, had I been driving alone, i might still be roaming around eastern WV!

Are you on a path that is not moving you in the direction you want to be heading? Are you blocked because you aren't willing to rethink the plan. Are you seeing the situation as it is or as you want it to be? Can you step back and choose another direction. If not, do you have a trusted supporter who can "turn on the GPS" for you?

Changing directions is hard, especially if you have been traveling in that direction for a while...but it is not impossible. You can do it! Start small, a 1°shift in direction is enough to make a huge difference over the course of a long journey.