A Zig-Zag Life (Or When you come to a fork in the road, take it).

Over the years, I have come to a realization: We ask people to plan a career and a life based upon straight lines. What is your life goal? “You are clearly here, and you want to be someplace else, someplace better. So please define the straight line path from A to B.”

That is incorrect, most of the time.

I realized this from an experience in my personal life. I recently remodeled my house, and at the start of this massive undertaking, the goal was to make the house nice, and then either sell it or rent part of it. I needed to get the task done, and then see where I was at, and what my options would be.

So, here I sit, surrounded by wonderful, recovered hardwood floors. My house is nice. I can now either choose to rent the apartment downstairs, or I can sell outright. I started out with a straight line goal of “make the house better”. I invested time, energy, and money into the project.

Now I face a “Y” shaped decision point...Should I sell and cash a rather large sweat equity check? Should I sell the (now nice) house, and purchase another, smaller and less nice house with the profits? My straight line decision just became “Y” shaped.

Now, if I choose to sell and take the profit, I can live in a paid up (yet less nice home)....Then I face ANOTHER “Y” point...Do I simply live there, or do I seek another place I can remodel and flip for a profit?

You see my dilemma. I started with a straight line life goal of “Live in a nice place”. I wound up zig-zagging along through life. Suddenly, I am confronting Landlord responsibilities versus stable cash flow, or target markets for a potential house flip down the road.

This made me think that as Parents, Coaches, Counselors, and supports to others, we often advise ourselves and others to set a goal, and then doggedly press forward, no matter what.

However, I have come to realize that my life, at least, does not move in a straight line. Barriers and walls intervene. Life happens.

Walls and barriers appear. Now, I have often suggested that when a wall appears, there are three options:

1. Go Through the wall, knock it down.
2. Go Over the wall, transcend the barrier.
3. Go around.

That is the point of this article. We too often think of the “easy” and pat way of going through. That works sometimes, admittedly. Yet, I have learned that there is another way, and it does not involve blindly going straight ahead.

Please consider that life is flexible and flowing, and as such, straight lines are accepted, but they are not always the best choice. Zig-Zag just a bit, and when you come to a fork in the road, take it.

Just for clean-up, I have a renter moving into my house next week. She is a fine young lady, and I took the fork in the road when I came to it. Such is life.

Good Luck and best wishes,

Chris

(With a nod and a tip of my cap to a wise man, Yogi Berra)