Uncertainty Freak You Out?

A little under a year ago, I’m driving home in the dark when thick fog sweeps the area.

In fact, visibility drops to about 20 feet. I’m putzing along at a measly 35 mph… because there is no way to tell when the road will turn. The signs warning you of this… are impossible to see.

The only way to know where I was – was when I passed an exit.

A drive has never commanded my full-attention like this. If a panicked deer, stalled car, strolling raccoon or anything else stopped in the road, there would be no way to avoid it…

As I’m navigating this treacherous drive, I remembered a story from years ago:

In the book Many Miles to Go, author Brian Tracy, shares his story of traveling to Africa with his friends. Their goal was to work their way south through the entire continent. It was the ULTIMATE journey of adversity.

They worked on a ship for 6-weeks just to make it over the Atlantic… biked day-after-day across Europe… lived in a tent each night… survived off of little food… they even ran out of money at one point…

After slaving away for months, they finally reach the Sahara Desert - one of the most dangerous and unforgiving destinations in the world. When hearing about their plans to cross the desert, the locals tell them “Vous allez mourir dans le desert”

Translation: You will die in the desert

Despite their warnings, they cross the scorching wonderland.

But how? Their route had black 55-gallon oil drums every five km. They’d simply drive to the oil drum. And then the next one would appear on the horizon.

So they’d drive to the next oil drum…

And the next… And the next…

Until they crossed it.

Brian stated,
 All you have to do to cross the biggest desert
in the world is to take it ‘one oil barrel at a time
 
One oil drum at a time…

That’s exactly what I did that night.
(Or in my case one dashed line at a time)

Sometimes that’s exactly what we have to do in life too. We can’t see too far out. The future may be unknown and there are things out of our control but what can we do?

Just take things one oil drum, one day at a time.