I never trusted my rear-view camera. Too easy. Too digital. Too smug. But this morning, faced with an empty cupboard, a desperate need for caffeine, and a truckload of firewood blocking my escape, I had no choice but to trust it to help me back out. Blind faith and all.
So, there I was, one hand on the wheel, one eye squinting at the screen, trying to convince myself this little rectangle of reality could be trusted. Every instinct screamed to twist around, crane my neck, do it the old-fashioned way. But the camera saw things I couldn’t; angles and obstacles my body wasn’t built to notice.
And that’s when it hit me. Growth works the same way (professional or personal.)
Sometimes we can’t see what’s behind us until we stop looking back through the same lens we used too… We need new tools; SKILLS, NETWORKS, ways to process KNOWLEDGE of what already happened, before we can inch forward and take ACTION again.
I think that’s what Kierkegaard meant when he said, “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”
We spend so much time trying to “move on” from old jobs, relationships, or burnt-out seasons as if forward motion means forgetting. But it doesn’t. It just means learning to steer with the camera on. Letting reflection do its job without getting stuck staring into it.
By the time I reached the end of the driveway (1/4 of a twisty mile, don’t roll your eyes, it took a hot minute in reverse), I realized I wasn’t just trusting the tech. I was trusting myself to look back forward, interpret what I saw, and safely navigate… all without coffee!
So, tell me, what’s something you finally learned to trust instead of sticking with “what you know”? I’ll be in the comments with my coffee, pretending today’s dashboard wisdom counts as professional development.
