If my wife and I make a wrong turn while we’re driving, we have separate instincts.

Mine is to figure out where we’re going while the car is still moving. Hers is to find a place to pause, locate where we are on the map, and then to begin again ... headed in the right direction.

Clearly, my wife’s method is the more reasonable approach.

I’m trying to retrain myself, and in a bigger sense too.

When I feel like I’m off track, how often do I stop? Is my life’s journey headed in the right direction? How often do I look at the map? Do I even have a map?

There are times when “keep moving” can make a lot of sense. But not always.

If there’s not a map, find one. Or invent one. And once there’s a map, it’s wise to pause and to plan a route.