Wrong Turns Lead to New Views

Recalculating.

A single word. Spoken by many GPS units when you deviated - intentionally or not - from its route.

Some drivers liked knowing when they made a wrong turn. Others hated the way it felt like their GPS was judging their choice to go a different way.

I'm not sure a single word used by technology has had a bigger impact on our culture.

There are career-path books. Career workshops. Books of poetry. Short films.
Sermons. TV series. Bands. Urban dictionary definitions.

The funny thing?

Garmin GPS units haven't said "recalculating" for over 10 years.

A Powerful Juju

But that idea of a "right path" is powerful juju. Our world is rife with choice. Evaluating all the options and finally making a decision about where to go, what to buy, or where to eat doesn't always bring relief. It just transforms into FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) over the options you didn't choose.

We just want a GPS for everyday life. Show us a path, adjust it when we screw up, and let us know when we're about to arrive so we can put on clean underwear.

How many prayers boil down to "God, just tell me what to do"?

I recently read a LinkedIn post about what to do when you took a wrong turn in your career. The author said when you realize your mistake, just look for the next opportunity to adjust, and make your way back onto your correct path.

In other words?

Recalculate.

C.S. Lewis used a few more words to say essentially the same thing:

"We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive."

Routes Take Assumptions

Here's what bugs me about the whole recalculating thing.

When a GPS calculates your route, it's making a series of choices. In programmer-speak this is called the "algorithm." 

Most GPS units let you choose variations of the algorithm. You can tell it you want the shortest route. Or the quickest route. Or that you want to avoid traffic, toll roads, or interstates.

But those are only a few options that influence your route. What about the most interesting? Most scenic? Least common? Or the one that makes for the best story?

There Isn't One Correct Route

If each of those inputs creates a different end route, it's clear that there isn't a "right" one.

I believe it's often the same in life. There is no right or wrong path - just the one you happen to be on. Your location on that path is exactly where you need to be right now.

The backroads all have something to offer. It might be enjoyable scenery. Or it might be a challenge you need to overcome.

The question is - are you looking down at your phone trying to recalculate?

Or is your head up, appreciating the unexpected?