The other day I was disappointed in myself at just how reliant I am on my iPhone for directions. I used my phone to find the best way to get to a restaurant that I could of gotten to on my own. I used it to find the closest bank, even though I knew where it was. Smart phones are an excellent resource; however, all to often we become reliant on them instead of using our own judgment. For all of the good that has resulted from the invention of the smart phone, they have undoubtedly given way to a number of negatives.
Gone are the days of the debate, and it’s much harder to BS nowadays’s as we can all simply test someone’s theory at a fraction of a second with a simple Google search. Face to face interactions seem to be fading away. I can see it in my generation and even more in kids as they seem uncomfortable looking someone in the eye and having a verbal exchange. Text seems to be the preferred method of contact as it is quick, simple, and unobtrusive. Now a days it is a rarity for someone to call you to make plans or to catch up! All to often it seems that phone calls are designated for earth shattering news, and when they are not people tend to be annoyed. I guess it is just a changing in the times; however, their are always consequences to any action! Good, or bad.
Just last night I was forced to rely on myself, I had to go pick up a friend from a location that I was vaguely familiar with. As I got into my car, I politely asked Siri for directions, surprisingly she understood me the first time and began to build my route. As I am backing out to begin my journey unbeknown to me my phone mysteriously died. As I was leaving it looked like I had plenty of battery to get me to my destination. So now I am faced with a dilemma! Do I turn back to search my computer for directions? Or do I trust myself to make it? I decided to risk it and use my own intuition and press onward. Only armed with a couple of facts, such as the address being 10000 Lake Wheeler Road, Fuquay Varina and that my end destination was a church; I began to rack my brain for all memories that would aid me in my adventure.
Strangely enough I had an image in my head of what this church looked like as a result of a time a couple of years ago when I traveled down Lake Wheeler in route to a golf course. As I am traveling down Capital Blvd it turns into Fayetteville Street and continues into Fuquay Varina and further down goes into Fayetteville. Journeying down the road I knew I had to find a way to Lake Wheeler Road, when I recalled a dark road that looks to lead to nowhere that I accidentally turned on years ago. I remembered this experience vividly because it came out right at a driving range, who knew golf would be so instrumental in this trip! As I turned down this road it came out right on Lake Wheeler Road and I continued to find my destination.
I must admit that it was refreshing to reach my destination using my prior experiences and memory, and not relying on my iPhone. Afterwards I was prompted about an old post about little victories in life. I sat in the car for a brief moment after I parked to reflect on how I reached the church that oddly enough matched the mental image that I had in my head prior. Anxiety and feelings of disconnect creeped into my mind at the beginning of my trip; only to melt away by using all of my ability to focus and find my way.
Sometimes we can find out the most about who we are when we are in the dark, or when the cards are stacked against us. All to often you will be surprised to find that you have everything you need within yourself to make it out of the dark, all it takes is a little belief and confidence! Don’t be afraid of failure, we will all fail at certain times, but success will be determine through your response afterwards.
Sports are a tremendous example of how to react to failures! Michael Jordan who is widely considered the best basketball player of all time was not immune to failure. Throughout his career he missed more than 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, and missed a total of 26 potential game winning shots. Michael credits his willingness to fail as a main reason why he was so successful. He was unafraid to fail, and that’s why he will be remembered as one of the greatest!
What great accomplishment will result from your failures?
Nunc Coepi 