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I wrestled with the controls of the machine. This was dangerous stuff. A lot more complicated than it looked.
“Relax”, he said. He’d let me try with minimal guidance to let me get familiar.
“Remember what I taught you”, he said. Right! How did that go again? It’s one thing to memorize data when it’s just words on paper. It’s something else entirely to try to remember and use it in the field. I saw that disaster was imminent so I wrenched the controls. Too much! I was now thrashing back and forth trying to prevent disaster. Fortunately the machine was at low power.
“You’re over-correcting”, my dad said. “Remember the keys I taught you. Aim high. Move your eyes further down the road.” It took a degree of trust and courage, but when I was able to shift my focus from the area right in front of the car to down the road a bit, the jerkiness of my (very) inexpert driving evaporated. The car seemed almost to drive itself.
Like I mentioned on Tuesday, it’s easy to take the immediate data and jump to the wrong conclusion. Remember that the keys of driving also make good keys for anything else you are trying to accomplish in life:
- Aim high. Remember to keep your focal point in the distance. This will keep you moving in the right direction even when making needed adjustments.
- Get the Big Picture. Be aware of the situation, not just around you, but at large. Keep an eye open for opportunities or obstacles while they’re still a ways out.
- Keep your eyes moving. Having seen where you’re going, and gotten the big picture, now keep looking around you to see what’s going on near you. Keep your attention flowing, so you miss as little as possible.
- Leave yourself an out. I believe Robert Kiyosaki once said that having an exit strategy is more important than an entry strategy. If you can’t get yourself out of a nasty situation or set up a fail-safe, you’re putting yourself and your interests (and possibly your loved ones) at unnecessary risk.
- Make sure they see you. Let people know what you’re doing. While originally this was designed for driving safety, the principle applies to any project or undertaking. Let people know what’s going on if at all possible. This will minimize conflicts, and may very well draw support.
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Note: The five keys are trademarked by Smith System. They specialize in driving safety for professional drivers. I benefited from them because my dad was (amongst other things) a very safe professional driver.
