backtracking

sharing a post from my favorite blog that pretty much sums up the last 2 years of my life.


Problem: If you’re on the wrong path, no amount of tweaking or persevering will get you where you really want to go.  You’re headed down a dead end.

Solution: Backtrack until you’re in a familiar place, and try again. Repeat as necessary.

Life goes fast, and it’s easy for even the best laid plans to go off track. Sometimes you find yourself in situations you thought would treat you well, but your intuition lead you astray. Sometimes you just stop paying attention long enough to wander down a path you never meant to.
Whatever it is that gets you to the breaking point, in the end you’re faced with having to make one of three decisions:

Continue on because that’s what’s comfortable (easiest)
Throw in the towel and quit trying (easier)
Take a few steps back and try again from another angle (hard)

The first two rarely get you what what you want—if something’s broke, it usually doesn’t fix itself— but they’re easy choices because they’re comfortable. Backtracking, on the other hand, is a difficult choice. It’s uncomfortable because you’re not giving up… but you still feel like a failure. And you’re not staying the course… but you’re still aiming for the same goal.
Backtracking is a confusing, frustrating, and challenging experience. Of course, it’s also the only viable solution.

Those that take the challenge face serious trials, but the payoff is usually worth the effort. Those that avoid it jeopardize their own happiness and run the risk of never finding what they want.