GO UNDER, OVER, OR AROUND, AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD
I enjoy walking in the woods with my dog every now and then, it helps “reboot” my mind PC and “refresh the temp files”. We have walked up this same trail for years, and one day we found a tree had fallen across our trail and was blocking our path. Unlike some of the Sierra adventure games I enjoyed in my youth, I understood that unexpected obstacles like this tree do not mean it is the end of the trail. Would any of you have stopped hiking at this spot and returned home?
Since we were committed to reaching our goal, we simply needed to choose whether to go over, under, or around. My dog has always been a little nimbler than I am through the woods, so of course she went right under the tree. I bumped my head when I tried to go under! In the past when I walked with my kids, they would typically climb over obstacles like gymnasts because that's more fun and they don’t like struggling through the brush on either side of the trail. Given my big feet and boots, I realized that going off the beaten path and blazing a new trail was the best option for me. We both continued moving forward that day to reach the summit.
We all find obstacles in our path once in a while. In 2020 some of us encountered the equivalent of rock slides or big evergreens blocking the trail. I encourage you all to keep searching for ways over, under, or around anything that might be getting in the way of personal and professional growth, business projects, or corporate digital transformation. Microsoft Teams and other online collaboration tools are more intuitive and much easier to use than they were just a year ago. Autodesk 2021 apps are integrating BIM capabilities very effectively across multiple platforms. AI machine learning, virtual desktop solutions, and process specific mobile apps are advancing at an amazing pace. You can even gain insight by seeing how your competitors are overcoming their challenges.
Wherever and whenever you encounter a formidable obstacle that seems to be blocking your path, make sure to reach out to your family, friends, pets, mentors, or even your LinkedIn contacts, and keep moving forward.