If your only objective is to reach the destination on schedule, take the highway. But if you want to find something worth building, take the county line road with the washboard gravel and the broken fence posts.
The Cost of the Straight Line
Optimization is a powerful tool, but it assumes you already know where you want to end up. Most worthwhile adventures begin because someone took a wrong turn, lingered in an unexpected town, or asked a question that wasn't on the agenda.
"A detour is only a mistake if you refuse to look out the window."
When we look back at our strongest ventures and partnerships, none of them came from a neat spreadsheet projection. They came from curiosity—from following an instinct down a quiet lane until it turned into something real.
Practicing the Detour
- Trade speed for resolution: Slow down enough to notice the textures of the place you are passing through.
- Document what you almost missed: Keep a field notebook. Write down the names of trees, signs, recipes, and passing thoughts.
- Say yes to the unfamiliar route: If you've taken the same path three times in a row, deliberately choose another one today.
There are no wrong turns when curiosity is leading the way.
