Mid-Course Corrections: What to Do When Your Path Doesn’t Point Towards Your Goal
My wife and I love to travel. 2020 has certainly limited our ability to do so, but we intend to restart our habit once it is safe. In the meantime, much of my “travel” has been imagination. I’ve had to change the way I experience different cultures. I’ve read lots of articles and done research on different places. In many cases it has added to my “bucket” list of places that I want to visit.
Today’s “Travel”
My new habit of researching foreign places has been a change to how I experience new cultures. Typically, I have memories of places that I learned about in school and dive right in by traveling there. There is nothing wrong with this method, and as mentioned above we can’t wait to get back to it. But for now, it’s been interesting to read (sometimes listen) about different places. I’ve built some deeper knowledge about these places and look forward to visiting them with some more ideas of what we want to do and see (like true tourists).
Our travel plans are not the only thing that has been subject to adjustments this year. There have been quite a few “mid-course corrections”. This term comes from navigation, aviation, and space travel. You could say those are related to tourism, right? I haven’t decided if space travel is in my “bucket list”, but I would imagine that there are quite a few things that could lead to a course correction in a space flight.
When a ship, plane, or shuttle has to change it’s path in the middle of a journey, it’s a mid-course correction. The end-goal hasn’t necessarily changed, but it has been identified that something needs to change in order to reach it. You could argue that a change could be avoided by more effective preparations, but there are always unexpected things. What’s most important is being prepared for different possibilities, and the ability to pivot as needed.
My Flight With Two Take Offs
As much as I love travel, I’m not a big fan of flying. It’s a necessary evil. You would think that I’d be used to it at this point. Honestly though, my fear seems to have gotten worse. Maybe it’s because I know more about aviation now.
When flying, I try to distract myself by surfing the internet (if possible), listening to podcasts, reading, and watching movies (which I normally despise, I know I’m weird). It’s tough, but it’s the best option. I attempt to ignore noises, smells (yes, smells), and turbulence. The most critical parts of flights are the take off and landing.
About ten years ago I was on a flight to Detroit, Michigan (a flight I’ve taken numerous times). I was thinking it was a rather calm trip as we approached DTW (the airport). We were at the point where you are “floating” toward the runway. The engines were off. There was a bit of a weightlessness feeling (not my favorite).
All of a sudden, zoom! The engines kicked in. I panicked. I grabbed the seat, pushed my feet against the floor, and forced my back into my seat. I am sure the person next to me (it was a full flight) thought I was crazy. Or maybe I made them nervous too. We were taking off again. “Um, you already put me through this once.” Do we have to do it again? Honestly, at first, I thought the pilot slipped and hit the throttle and we were going to slam into the runway. Thankfully, but still scary, the nose tilted up and we headed back toward the sky.
I have never been so frightened since that trip. The pilot eventually came over the intercom and explained that he and the co-pilot didn’t feel comfortable about the approach and decided to circle around before attempting to land again. I am not sure if the control tower had anything to do with it, but he didn’t cast any blame. He knew though, that a course correction was needed. It wasn’t expected, but it had to be done. We circled around the airport and landed safely just a few minutes later. I was shaking as I deplaned, but relieved and had quite a story to tell my family when they picked me up.
Different Areas of Life
Mid-course corrections can happen in many aspects of life. I encourage them and see it as a sign of growth. It doesn’t mean that everything prior to that point is a failure or a waste of time. It simply indicates flexibility, the ability to adapt, and the willingness to do whatever it takes to reach your goal.
Admitting a weakness is a sign of strength. Great leaders and impactmakers are comfortable addressing shortcomings. Remember “Your Weakness is Showing” from July 14th? It’s not natural for me, but it’s good.
Some examples of areas of life that mid-course corrections can happen are:
faith
business
interpersonal relationships
charitable endeavors
family dynamics
It’s important in all of these to be flexible and willing to evaluate your situation.
Ray C. Anderson
One great example of positive change is in the book entitled Mid-Course Correction Revisted. It’s the second edition of the original Mid-Course Correction by Ray Anderson. Ray has passed on, but the foundation named after him is fully alive. Here’s a man who spent much of his industrial career working in one fashion, but rather suddenly, realized the necessity for sustainability in the industry. It was time for a course correction. John Lanier, his grandson, decided that his grandfather’s book was still relevant and added some additional chapters for today’s world. Ray’s impact continues to be felt today.
We are big on taking care of the Earth at E-Impact. Ray and his family’s efforts are a great fit for this blog.
The Lakes Marathon
Being an impactmaker is hard. I write this as my wife is running a marathon in our neighborhood. I am very proud of her. She was supposed to run in the New York City Marathon this year. As the case with many events, it was canceled. It is typically a competitive race and you have to qualify to run. She was able to get a spot because she was supposed to run for Team Boomer and the Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF). Races like this are big fundraisers. She wanted to support the cause and help Cystic Fibrosis patients including my cousin, Gunnar Esiason, from Episode 21 of Speaking of Impact.
She had to pivot (course correct). Cystic Fibrosis is not going away and she had been training to run 26.2 miles (the length of a marathon). The goal was not to run around New York City. It was to raise money and awareness. This could still be done. She needed a mid-course correction.
It was a sad day when it was announced that the race was canceled. Many people were disappointed and many organization were strained as events likes these and other non-athletic type fundraisers were not happening this year.
Despite the formal New York City Marathon not happening, why couldn’t the purpose of Team Boomer not carry on? That was it. It was decided that The Lakes Marathon 2020 would happen.
I would never have guessed it, but our neighborhood (The Lakes) has over eight miles of roads. I would have said three-ish…and I’m not about to test it, especially on foot. Anyway, if you run through it three times you’re at almost 26.2 miles. Voilá! We have a course!
She’s probably in the midst of her third lap at this point. I should go check on her. I need a mid-blog-course correction. BRB.
Where There’s a Will There’s a Way
I have always believed that willpower is one of the most incredible forces in our world. When you put your mind to it, you can doing amazing things. There are many texts written about this subject. For the purposes of this entry, I want to highlight determination.
The Psychology of Willpower: Training the Brain for Better Decisions is a great article about how willpower effects our lives and it talks about determination. It states, “At the core of willpower is the ability to resist short-term temptations and desires in order to achieve long-term goals.”
Sometimes it’s tempting to push on. It’s not easy to admit change is needed. But will to succeed can push you to challenge yourself and make the needed adjustments.
Note the quote from Mahatma Ghandi in the article.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
The first video and the end of the article each provide some actionable steps to help you increase your willpower. You know I love things that are actionable.
Willing Impact
Your impact project is something that you really care about. It’s something that you think about a lot. You know there is someone or some group that needs you. If it was easy to solve their issue, they wouldn’t have one.
The world of impact is highly susceptible to the need for mid-course corrections. The reason is that as impactmakers, we are are trying to change something. Something is not right and we don’t know exactly how to fixed it, but we know it needs to be fixed. It’s more important that we take action than develop the perfect plan. In fact, the perfect plan doesn’t exist. We must act, and have the flexibility for course correction.
Your will is what leads. Your intuition will recognize. And your effort will make change. Let’s call it WIE, pronounced, “wee”.
Essential Corrections
The next time that you find yourself struggling with something, consider why you are doing it. Is it a routine? Is it because you were told to or that’s how it’s always been done?
If your answer to any of the above questions is “yes”. It’s possible that you need a mid-course correction.
I find that the most naturally expected things are often the things that need adjustment. Often times, Success is the Result of Innovation. The August 25th Entry said it well. Your purpose is the most important part of driving impact for good, not your routine. I am sure Quinn Tempest from Episode 22 of Speaking of Impact would agree.
When you look back on your successful impact project, you’ll be able to recognize the essential corrections. The pivotal moments will stand out. Don’t be afraid of those times when they are happening.
Remember, it takes courage to evaluate oneself.
Course corrections are good. They show awareness and they don’t happen at the beginning or the end. They happen in the heart of the journey.
Flex your muscle of will. Adjust your course as needed.