Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Fork in the Road
When Connor and I came to a giant ledge yesterday we had to choose to back up and either go down a rocky hill (not ideal for mountain trails....at least not for me) or cut through dense woods to an opening about 100 yards away. Going down would be easier in the short run....the woods would be work but in the long run make for a better trail. We were at a cross roads where we had to choose between Easy/Good Enough and Hard/Best...We chose Hard/Best albeit 5 minutes after we started down the hill...I just couldn't take the path of least resistance knowing in the long run it wouldn't really be that good. I think this happens to me maybe 100 times a day and I'm just not sharp to it. I probably face forks in the road like this all the time and unconsciously I choose...I wonder if I choose the best or the good enough? To tell the whole truth or to soften something to where it's unrecognizable. To look away or to linger with thoughts that destroy...to purchase to satiate or to practice discipline. To do my very best or to mail it in knowing most won't know the difference...Ahh...so many forks in the road...choose wisely.
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4 comments:
A wise mentor, once observing a strain of perfectionism quipped, "Don't lose the excellent in pursuit of perfection; or disregard a 'good' for an 'excellent' that doesn't add value. You can sometimes do 4 really good things in the time/energy lost to pursuing 1 excellent...sometimes."
Pain of forks is you have to commit to a path. Unless, of course, you blaze a new trail between the paths and break the fork (i.e. "false dichotomy")!
No doubt fals dichotomy's abound and there is a trisecting point...usually this balance is the hardest to find...but like you say the committing to a path; left, right or middle is the real choice.
Dear Jeff,
I really appreciate these thoughts of the last month. Thanks for the encouragement
Thanks...When I was thinking about Miguel's thoughts I also realized sometimes it's not about perfectionism...in my mind I'm trying to find the best trail a 10 year old can follow...sometimes there is no false dichotomy but really a choice between good and best and when the ability for others to follow is in the balance it really is no choice at all.
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