Crippled CEO Blog #183: The Road That Curves Around Nothing

Crippled CEO Blog #183:

Here in Boynton Beach, we have a road called Old Boynton Road. It connects to Boynton Beach Boulevard, like any normal road might, but as you follow it, something weird happens. It takes this odd, unnecessary curve, bending way out of the way, as if there’s something there to avoid. But there’s nothing there.

There used to be, though. A long time ago, there was a body of water right where the road curves. The lake was drained years ago, and now it’s just developed land with buildings and parking lots. But Old Boynton still swerves to avoid… nothing.

And I think we all have our own Old Boynton Roads.

We have habits, routines, and ways of doing things that made sense at one point. There was a lake, so we built a road around it. But then the lake disappeared, the reason went away, and yet… we’re still swerving.

Maybe you wake up early every Saturday morning to mow the lawn, even though your new HOA covers the landscaping now. Maybe you still send a detailed report to your boss every Friday, even though he hasn’t asked for one in years and only skims the emails. Or maybe you’re still holding on to that apology you feel like you’re owed, from someone who probably doesn’t even remember what they did.

We keep curving around these empty spaces in our lives, doing things because we’ve always done them, even when the reason for them disappeared ages ago.

And the funny thing is, we don’t stop to question it. We just keep following the curve like it’s the only way forward.

I wonder how many times we waste energy, effort, or even happiness on things that don’t matter anymore. It’s not even conscious most of the time. We don’t realize we’re doing it. It’s just… habit.

But if we pause for a second, if we actually look at the road we’re on, maybe we’ll realize there’s no lake there anymore. We don’t have to swerve. We can go straight.

And that’s a pretty cool thought.

(Do you know who didn’t take the long way last night? Your mom. She always knows the quickest route. Your mom also gets a text from me every Sunday with a link to the latest blog post. Send a text to 561-726-1567 with the word CRIP as the message to get the link as soon as it’s up.

Did you know that I have a YouTube channel now? I do! I’m posting two videos every week. Go search for Crippled CEO and you’ll find me. I’d love it if you subscribed.)