Thought by thought . . .

I found a key today on the sidewalk.

Oddly, my first thought wasn’t “Oh, the poor owner is gonna be miffed when s/he realizes this is missing!”

My first thought was “Well, what d’ya know. Who’da thought I’d find a key today.”

Kid you not. It might sound a bit hokey.

But I’ve been sifting my thoughts for a few months now about a certain decision and while the objective of the decision is sound, the way I’ve approached fulfilling the goal is not.

And of late I’ve been thinking much about the willingness and flexibility and spontaneity we’re sometimes invited to express to reshape our view of how to fulfil a goal.

Seeing that key today, I did what was practical for the owner: I jaunted back home, found a sandwich baggie, attached a note and pinned it to a nearby tree. Hopefully the owner will retrace his/her steps and find the item.

But more than this, I pondered the freedom that comes from realizing a shift in approach doesn’t have to mean at all a giving up of the goal.

If you have to get to a certain place, there’s gobs of ways to get there.

But we all know stuff happens that often redirects your coarse.

Take a look at anyone on flights last week and how many of them had to be rerouted or stalled due to poor flying conditions.

That’s more of an obvious redirecting.

A maybe more direct example is when you feel you’ve been beating your head against a wall and there’s little movement–you think–toward the achievement of your goal.

Some will say ‘change your goal.’

But that may not be the need at all.

Instead, for me at least, I’m seeing the rethinking of ‘how to get there’ may be the only thing necessary.

Permission to rethink your strategy may just very well be the unexpected key you didn’t think you’d find that afternoon.

Day to day, especially of late, with so many things we’ve counted on as constants shifting, I find great comfort and peace in realizing that it’s not only okay but oftentimes vital to rethink your strategy, reshape your roadmap if necessary, and open yourself up to alternative means to obtain your goal.

Sure, perhaps the goal itself needs to be rethought too. And that will come if it needs to.

For the now, I deeply value knowing that permission to pause and regroup is a key in and of itself.

What do you think?