September 28, 2019
Which way to Pittsburgh?
Let’s say you were planning an “off-the-grid” hike from Providence, RI to Pittsburg, PA.
What would you pack?
Probably stuff like:
- weather appropriate clothing
- a watertight backpack
- a good knife
- a reliable fire starter
- a dense calorie source
- a sleeping bag
- maybe a tent (unless you know how to improvise shelter)
These would all be smart things to bring with you on a 500 mile hike in the northeastern US.
But none of these items will point you in the right direction. They merely enable you to keep going. _
What you _really need to get you to Pittsburgh is a compass and map - and if I had to choose one, I’d choose the compass.
Without a compass, the odds are high that you will walk for miles and miles out of the way. Or in the wrong direction. Or in circles.
Without a compass, what should be a 500 mile hike becomes a potentially infinite hike. No matter how good your boots or poncho or tent are, they won’t withstand an infinite hike.
That said...
A compass doesn’t ensure that Pittsburgh is a great destination, nor does it ensure that you will get there in a straight line.
But...
A compass does ensure that you won’t go in circles and will eventually get where you’re going, if you keep at it.
Here’s the thing...
Having a strategy is like having a compass. It’s doesn’t ensure that your objective is the right one, nor that you’ll reach it in a straight line. But it does ensure that you will eventually get there.
Without a strategy, the odds are good that you’ll just end up going in circles until you give up.
Yours,
—J