Many people think they’re lost when they’re not really. They just don’t know what the next step should be. I know exactly how that feels, and I have two stories to illustrate that. The first story happened when I was living in Mount Gambier. Most of the area in and around Mt Gambier is limestone with a layer of dirt over it. It’s also a rather wet place. That combination causes caves to appear in random places. There is a cave just out of the Mount, with an opening just off the highway. It was not blocked off then. It might be now. A friend and I decided to explore. Easy access, just walk in. We had torches, but no safety gear. After a short period my mate decided he was spooked and went back to the entrance while I did a little more exploring. I climbed through a tunnel that was just big enough. I found myself on the top of a pile of sand with no obvious openings. I panicked. I felt entirely lost. I called out, my heart was pounding. No reply. No one heard me. Then sanity returned and I realised that the escape tunnel was behind me. I backed out and stopped exploring. I wasn’t lost. The way out was right behind me. I just couldn’t see it while I was panicking. Panic stops your brain working. Panic causes people to make poor decisions. Sometimes, those decisions can be fatal. Feeling lost online won’t kill you. But it can still lead to poor decisions. Like quitting, or changing direction every few weeks, or not asking for help when you need it. Most of the time, the next step is right behind you. You just need a way to see it. This might help. It’s one short lesson on working out where you want to go, and the one step you take every day to get there. Regards, P.S. That’s the first story. The second is tomorrow, and that time I really was lost. |
