Off the Beaten Path

I've been spending a lot of time in 4 Wheel Drive. Dirt roads have been the good roads in a lot of the places I've visited lately. Often, the roads through Colorado, Utah, and Arizona have been built of rocks, gravel, ravines, and broken slabs of clay.

"Why do you do this?"  you ask? Well...it's to get to places like this...

The Destination

Don't get me wrong. You don't always have to spend hours in 4 wheel drive in order to get to beautiful places.

But after a while, if you keep seeking out BIG spaces, you're going to find yourself with less pavement and more path-finding. In fact, one of the tougher roads we took on our trip was kinda by accident. Don't tell my mom, because I'd hate for her to worry; but it was after we finished off-roading for the day that I chose a path back to civilization that I mistakenly believed was a "normal" road.

Turns out it wasn't normal.

If the roads we did during our trail run that day were a 5 out of 10 for toughness, the road we faced on the way home was at least an 8.

And we had to take it in the dark. (Sorry Mom.)

Now if you've seen the "car" I drive, you'll know I've been right in my element. The kind of FJ Cruiser I have is affectionately called the "Trail Edition" for a reason. In fact, I think they guarantee it'll break down if you drive it only on city roads for too many months in a row.**

I had the right equipment to handle the road just fine (thank God). Even so after this trip, I think I might have a few new dents in the skid plate, and I definitely busted up my trailer hitch cover. But we got out safely, and in under 5 hours.

But no amount of equipment - or even months of experience in the "back country" - can change the fact that when you're navigating tough roads, in the dark, you don't go fast.

You crawl.

You take a tiny step, and look, and choose your next tiny step, and take it.

It reminds me of something my friend and fellow Wild + Brave Ambassador, Faryn Bardin once told me. She said "A little step forward, is still a step forward."

Tiny Steps Make Progress Powerful

It's not only true when you're off-roading. The more I study the science of behavior change, I've begun to think that the only steps that really count are the small ones.

It's the tiny steps forward that actually get you home, help you move safely out of the canyon, and safely climb over the rocks that have you saying "Is that REALLY the road??"

So if you're getting discouraged, or worse - being mean to yourself because it seems like the best you can do is take one tiny step - I'm here to say, a tiny step often is the most powerful thing you could do.

Don't get sucked into the tyranny of "faster is better." Real change that lasts usually happens slowly.

And when it comes time to take a BIG step, it's almost always best to take a few tiny steps first, to improve your perspective, strengthen your resolve, and sharpen your focus.

Step Tiny

So step tiny today, and be proud of the wisdom of a small movement. Don't let the step you COULD take die at the hands of trying to wait until you can take a BIG step "later."

Oh and just so you know, once I leave the Grand Canyon I'll be back on (mostly) paved roads for a while. Thank you to everyone who has sent me encouraging (and cautionary) messages over the last few weeks. I appreciate the reminders to be cautious since it isn't really in my nature.

**You probably guessed it, but yes I'm kidding. FJs are incredibly reliable, even if you don't give them regular "play time" on rugged roads. 🙂

Photo Credit, Abraham Ciokler, 2018