“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
~Dolly Parton
Sometimes we get so frustrated by our situations – or the roads we’re walking – but we somehow think that we’re stuck in our current direction.
Dolly tells us differently.
Dolly reminds us that there is always another option and that if there isn’t another road in our vicinity, we can always pave one. It just takes a bit of determination and perhaps the right tools.
I was talking with a client the other day, and they were telling me how frustrated they were by their current team of peers. They easily listed for me the drops of tasks and responsibilities, the snide comments slipping out in meetings, the shirking of responsibilities and accountability.
It all made sense, and I allowed my client to vent for a wee bit longer, and then I asked, “What could you do differently? How could you find another path to your division’s goals?”
My client paused, reflected, and then started envisioning the new path they would pave and what they needed to make that happen.
Similarly, I was talking with a friend the other day, and they told me how stuck they felt…in pretty much everything. So I listened, and I listened some more.
Then we began to strategize one small step they could take in one small portion of their life, so that they could begin to pave another path and feel less stuck.
It’s easy to feel stuck. It’s easy to be frustrated. It’s easy to think we don’t have any other choices. And, if we put in the time and reflection – and maybe have a good friend or coach with whom to talk things through – it can be easy to find another path to pave.
How have you paved another road when you didn’t like the one you were on?
Please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
If you want someone by your side, paving with you, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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