No Fear, Just Move

Recently, I was reminded of a conversation I had with a friend in college. At the time, we were just picking at each other a bit and talking about bad driving habits. Now, I see that conversation in a much different light.

In a college town, you get people from all over the world and, with them, you get varying levels of automotive prowess. My friend was a local, so we were all invading her hometown for a bit. Some people invaded town longer than others. Some people can’t drive at all.

I worked at the same store with my friend. She came in a few minutes late one day and that’s how the conversation started. I may not have all of the dialogue just right, but here’s the premise of the conversation.

Her: “Have you been busy? I got stuck in traffic behind some people who had no idea where they were going.”

Me: “Nope. We have not been very busy. What happened?”

Her: “Somebody cut me off and just stopped. It’s like they had no idea where they were going and no clue that anybody else was driving too.”

Me: “Wow, they must have really been bad drivers if you’re complaining about them.”

I had no idea whether she was a good driver or not, but I saw an opportunity for sarcasm and took it. A twenty-year-old often mistakes sarcasm for charm, as you know. The conversation took a different tone.

Her: “What is that supposed to mean?”

Me: (still being “charming”): “Um, well you are from here. You never want to get behind anyone with a 63 tag. They must have been really…” She cut me off.

Her: “I’ll have you know I am a good driver. The only accident I’ve ever had was in your hometown if you must know.”

She knew I was giving her a hard time but she was not one to let me get away with it. All of my friends were the same way. We all gave each other crap and that kept life interesting.

Me: “Oh, no. You  never told me about that. What happened?”

Her: “I had to go to Birmingham for something and I was stopped waiting to get on the interstate and someone hit me.”

Me: “You were stopped on the interstate? You don’t stop on the inter…” She cut me off again.

Her: “It was the on ramp. I was waiting for my turn and someone just hit me.”

Me: “Oh.”

It makes a good analogy. In life, you either get on the interstate or you do not get on the interstate. There is no stopping on the on ramp. You will not always make the best decisions in life, but you have to keep moving. You have to choose. 

People get frozen by fear. They vacillate.

Always move forward. You will make bad decisions. In business, in faith, in your personal life, you cannot just sit still. There is nothing wrong with being patient and waiting for an opportunity. When you see an open door, however, be bold enough to either walk through it or walk away from it. The real sin is in doing nothing.