the road less travelled

For the past two Saturday's I've been driving through the Mourne Moutains. Depsite driving the same route at the same time my experiences could not have been more different. Last week the weather was absolutely brutal, waves crashing onto the road, wind pushing the car from side to side - it took me just over two hours to drive a route that I managed today in an hour. The difference today was the clear blue skies, sun bouncing off the calm sea and no flooding on the roads.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to realise why it was such a smooth run today, the conditions were much more favourable, and pleasant! It got me thinking how there's only so much that's in our control, we can plan, strategise, accumulate, prepare, seek expert advice and ultimately determine the best possible route for reaching our destination. But as John Steinbeck famously said 'the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry'. There are always elements outside of our control, there is always an element of chance in every plan, campaign, programme and journey.

The challenge is to reduce what's left to chance, the difference between good and great is practice and preparation. If the most naturally gifted sportsmen in the world doesn't practice they will be beaten everytime by the good sportsmen who practices everyday. If we don't continue to hone our areas of expertise whether it's marketing, art, sport, design, advocacy, or teaching we will never reach our potential nor be the best we possibly could be. If that's the case we are not only letting down ourselves but those around who rely on us in whatever context.

If I had paid more attention to my journey last week I would have made sure my car had plenty of fuel in it so that I didn't have to leave the main road, I'd have made sure the water reservoir was filled up so that I could clean the windows and I'd have checked the weather and traffic report to make sure when and where was the best way to travel. Instead I just set out and relied more on luck than skill or expertise and it made for a bit of a white knuckle ride in parts!

The other thing I realised is to never throw away a good idea, even if it doesn't work first time round. If we realise that somethings are out of our control then just becuase an idea or campaign doesn't work in one context doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Don't bin it, because next week the sun could be shining and the roads clear and it could be the perfect route.

Either way we'll learn something on the way.