Do we have to identify the finish before we start?

Have you ever had a hard time starting because you didn’t know what the finish looked like?  It feels like our lives are leaning more towards a need to be certain and away from a sense of uncertainty or even exploration.

As an example, l’m going to use the context of driving to a specific destination.

When you start on the trip, I admit that its always important to have, at the very least, some basic information about where it is you are going.  With a destination in mind, you can understand the direction you will take when leaving your current location.

If you are driving, who doesn’t at least use a map?  But more likely, how many people don’t have their phone or some other device navigate for them?  I know that I don’t.  It let’s me know just how to get there.  It tells me how long it will take.  And if something comes up along the way, it reroutes me around potential danger.  I have gained exactness and peace of mind.  But, I’ve lost a bit of flexibility in the process.

Through our use of more and more technology, I believe that we might be losing our ability to take risks and as well as our ability to recover when things don’t go quite right.

So I ask, “Does our desire for precision in one instance impact our ability to be flexible in others?”  For example, I know that I would no longer tolerate driving in a general direction, identifying cross streets, and hoping to reach a destination.  I won’t… and I don’t need to.  So, if I want to figure out how to solve a mathematics equation, am I just as likely to “Google” or ask “Siri” or “Alexa” for the answer or am I willing to plug and chug my way through the problem?

Well……”Hey Siri!  Should I struggle if I don’t have to?”

Siri can’t answer that.  I wonder if Alexa would?

This leads to another question.  How do we develop our ability to solve problems if we don’t have to?  If the answers are always there, what happens when they aren’t?  I’ve seen it time and again in mathematics classrooms… “I don’t know it.”  “I don’t know what to do.”  “I quit.”  And that’s it.  Situation is over and no attempt is made.  This is eventually followed by two additional phrases, either “This is dumb” or “I’m dumb”.  Neither being the case, but the conclusion decided on none the less, in order to put an end to the struggle.

So, what is the value of struggle and learn to value struggle and persistence?  Do we set off on excursions, destination unknown?  Think about your ability to handle uncertainty and ask whether there was a time when you approached it differently.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the value of risk and the benefit of learning to lean into uncertainty in order to move forward.  Face it…we did not reach the moon being assured we wouldn’t experience some trial and error in the process.

Be magnificent!

Take risks!

until next time…