When choosing a road less traveled, please consider paving the way.

This week I am traveling and I find myself taking familiar routes to visit people and places I have seen many times before.  This is a "pleasure" trip if you will.  Everyone I am seeing knows I am here and they are expecting me.  If the weather changes or road construction happens, I have back-up plans or alternative routes.  There are many choices and I am the person ultimately making the decisions that will impact my travel.


Throughout our life we may travel in many circles and sometimes we just travel in circles.  Sometimes we are the primary decision maker but more often than not, we are a puppet in the traveling circus that sometimes resembles our life.  In our life travels, many times we come to a fork in the road that involves a choice.  Sometimes the choice is easy and we can easily decide and move forward with little to no thought, resistance, or effort .  Surely others before us have traveled this same road, smoothed out the ruts along the way and made it safer and easier for us to quickly decide which way to go. 


However, other times in life, whether it be a personal or professional decision, what we decide to do is much more difficult.  It will not only affect us personally, it could have impact on others; our families or co-workers.  Should I take a promotion at work?  Face-value, yes.  Now add in longer hours, significant travel, perhaps even a relocation?  The answer isn't always as easy.  If you are a married woman with a family in a predominantly man's field you might have to factor in the acceptance factor.   And how it will impact your husband and kids.  What about the statement it makes and opportunity it could lead to for other women going forward?    Or the consequences for those same women if you say no?   And our followers choose to follow us for many reasons.  It could be personal knowledge of work ethic (male and female) or by the very nature of our work.  Then there are those compelled to follow us...by the very nature of our work.


There will be times when the decisions we make are made for us.  To others they may seem to be "our" decision and we can only hope they are the "right" decision...or at the very least, decisions made for all the right reasons.  We will hope that the original decision makers remember who they are (all the while taking notes and names) and we will travel down the road.


In all decisions we have true ownership of,  we must be accountable and remember to look behind, all the while smoothing the way for those who follow.  We must do this because the road is only paved once before it begins to depreciate in value.  Much like a car, the minute a decision is made, there will always be those naysayers who will second guess and armchair quarterback the way things were...or could or should have been.  We see this played out historically every day.  Make your decisions with the best information given and with the highest moral and ethical values.  Remember the truth is the easiest to defend and while life isn't always fair, you will be able to rest well with the decisions you have made.


with this I decide to close.


All my best,
Kari