I had a lot of great training in the military, and one of the most difficult certifications I had to go through was the Combat Medic Course. Kind of like an EMT on steroids, you learned all of the same basic things that civilians do except, you're training for war. It was really fast-paced and very stressful. Surprisingly, I trudged through things like triage and life support fairly well, but I had a terrible time with land navigation. Do you remember life before GPS? We used something called, a compass, and you had to learn how to "shoot an azimuth." I won't go into detail, but it involves math and requires a basic sense of direction. I have trouble finding my way out of a closet and I still have to count on my fingers.
Naturally, when the time came for me to navigate a team through the designated course, it just happened to be around 10:00 p.m. Oh, did I tell you that my night vision sucks? Yeah. Had I ever been issued night vision goggles, I would have needed an extra battery pack. Needless to say, it took us a lot longer than the prescribed two hours to make it through. A lot of that had to do with my frustration and fatigue which resulted in us crisscrossing over several waypoints, hitting the same waypoint twice, etc. One of my team mates suggested several times that we go back to a marker early in the course and start over...a course correction. But I thought that would take far too long and we had a 6:00 a.m. show time the next day. My team was not happy. I was really not happy. Not only was I embarrassed, but angry with myself for not paying more attention during the classroom instruction and practical application. I simply wasn't interested and figured I could wing it. How hard could it be? At night. Math.
That experience taught me a lot about myself and about the importance of knowing when to change directions. Making a course correction is not always an easy task because you've typically invested a certain amount of time and resources on a given path. And like my experience, you have to be willing to humble yourself and realize you're just walking in circles. Course corrections require humility. Most of the time, we know we're heading down the wrong path in a given situation, and we hope it corrects itself, only to learn the hard way that sooner or later we have to cut our losses, double back, retrace our steps and start again. Nobody likes to start all over again. We all have some sort of 6:00 a.m. show time to face.
There have been plenty of times when I've had to make a course correction, as a husband, a father, a therapist and a martial arts teacher. When you love someone, you have to have the humility and willingness to say you're sorry once in a while and perhaps change some behavior that causes conflict. If you hold on too tightly to your own convictions, you end up being blinded by your own truth and can't see anyone else's. Leaders are also reluctant to change direction; it makes us feel incompetent. We'll listen to suggestions but choose our own path, thinking there is a reason why we are the ones in charge. Admitting that you're taking your team down the wrong path is difficult and makes you question your ability to lead. And when we crisscross over the same landmarks and stall, we blame others for their lack of support. But, if you're unwilling to reshoot an azimuth once in a while, you'll end up leading folks in circles all night.
For me, the most important course corrections I've made have to do with faith. The Bible is full of examples of people who have been led to change direction. Lives spinning out of control, following roads that indulge creature comforts, idols, pride, hate...all the fleshy things. Paths away from God and Christ. Following the path of faith means humbling ourselves and that's not easy. "Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only few find it." Matthew 7:14. And yet, the further away we walk from the light, the more lost we become until we convince ourselves that being lost is ok. It's too hard to go back and will take too much time and energy. Besides, it's my life and it only affects me, right?
No matter where you are on the spectrum of belief, you have to agree on one universal truth: we're all connected. Your actions or inaction affects others, whether you think it does or not. It's not just about you and you're not the only one trying to find your way back to camp in the middle of the night. So...stop, regroup and pull out your compass. Pay attention to stars, the moon, the direction of the wind. Calm your mind. Accept the fact that some times, you need to retrace your steps. Practice a little humility, not just for yourself, but for the others in your life. Avoid the easy path, the one that you don't have to sacrifice anything for. It leads nowhere.
Do the work and your course will be laid out for you.
Dave Magliano
Tatsu Dojo
Jissenkan Budo
Dojo Cho
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