Bumpy roads lead to beautiful places. -Davey Martinez

I use the “Waze” app religiously in my everyday life.  Whether I am racing to a meeting, heading to a kid’s soccer game, or driving on a long road trip, I type the address into the search field and blindly follow the programmed directions.  Even when the route seems nonsensical, I hold my nose and keep the faith.  And usually this works out in the end.

But this past Saturday was a different story.  I was on a mission to drive into Washington, DC to support the World Series Champion Washington Nationals for the big parade (Yes, a shameless plug for our resilient Nationals!)  I typed in the downtown location, sailed out of the suburbs, and blissfully headed down bumpy roads to a beautiful place.

A native Washingtonian, I have driven downtown countless times and know just about every shortcut around traffic.  But Saturday, Waze took me in a direction that just didn’t seem right.  I looped across the Key Bridge and approached the exit for K Street. I knew that was the right way to go.  I knew I didn’t want to go into Georgetown.  But Waze implored me to keep plugging ahead.  Who was I to question it?

Once I passed the exit, my app started spinning.  And Spinning.  And after what seemed an eternity, the route re-booted and demanded I take an immediate U-turn. Of course, I had missed my exit.  I knew it!

The Waze app is incredible.  But it is not infallible.  I let my iphone screen overrule my own instincts and personal knowledge.   I relied way too heavily on suggestion and advice rather than taking the path I knew to be right.  That is not a best practice for navigation.  And that is not a best practice for living a resilient life!

We Need to Do the Work

In our work lives, we are right to seek mentors who will offer advice and guidance.  We are wise to heed the counsel of our managers and executive team.  We should be diligent in following the playbook of other entrepreneurs who have conquered similar markets.  But we cannot look to these people for all the answers.  We cannot blindly take advice without thinking critically about the solutions.  We cannot look to someone else to do all the work for us.

We need to take ownership of our career and our decisions.  We have to trust our gut and be willing to make decisions on our own.  Those decisions might turn out poorly.  Our instincts might let us down.  Sometimes the advice and the directions are absolutely correct.  But not always.  And the only way to get better is to make some mistakes.  We have to learn by doing.  Action is the key to improvement. We can’t passively follow the directions on the screen for our entire careers.

Action Gives Us Strength

The same is true in our personal lives.  We can seek advice on how to invest our money, whom to date and how to stay in mental and physical shape.  We can watch videos, attend seminars, and seek counseling for improvement.  There is no shortage of well-meaning advice and guidance in this world.  And most of it is educational and potentially transformational.

But there is no substitute for following our gut and and making an independent decision.  We may lose money.  We may end up in a dysfunctional relationship.  We may end up out of shape or unhappy.  But we have to take control at some point.  We have to be accountable for our actions and our mistakes.  Those “wrong” decisions hurt.  But they force us to take ownership and ensure we don’t make the same mistakes again.  Action gives us the strength to try again.  And if we keep trying, we will eventually get it right!

At Some Point, We Have to Follow Our Instincts

We are surrounded by great advice and countless resources.  We need to tap into the experience of those who have gone before us.  That will accelerate our growth and our advancement.  But at some point we have to carve our own path.  At some point, we have to take the blinders off and trust our instincts.  That action, right or wrong, will ensure we take ownership of our success.  And those actions will sharpen our resilience when we end up missing our exit.

The road to success and happiness is not a straight path.  Sometimes there are dead ends and U-turns.   Sometimes, our GPS will be spinning in place.  But when we learn from those wrong turns, and we are forced to think on our own, we will achieve a level of self-reliance and confidence that will lead us away from the bumpy roads and back to a beautiful place.

There is no magic blueprint in life.  Our GPS is a powerful tool which can offer incredible guidance in times of uncertainty.   But it is not infallible.  Putting in the work and following our own instincts and actions is the key to arriving on time for the glorious parade.