Some time ago, I wrote a blog titled, The Opposite of Ordinary, about my walks with my dog, Jesse. Only recently, she gave me something else to think about during one of our hikes.
We were on our regular path – the one we do every weekend and suddenly she decided to take an old path. I followed and headed down the trail where we found a tree down, blocking the way. 
After encountering this obstacle I started back the way I knew to our regular path; however, Jesse had other ideas and set off in a new direction. I called out to her, but to no avail. My only recourse was to follow. I was thinking she was taking a very long route until thirty yards later she made a quick turn onto a path we had never been on, me right behind her. When I picked my head up from reading a text (I know, not cool while on a hike), I realized she had brought us back to exactly where we needed to be.
What does this all mean besides the fact that Jesse is smarter than me and a better risk taker, especially for a dog.
It means it was probably just random luck and a keen sense of smell, but once again Jesse reminds me that we need to take chances. We need to believe in others and sometimes follow their lead. We can achieve the same goals using different techniques and different ways of thinking. So, go a different way when you have the opportunity – you can always go back the way you know. In fact, maybe we all need to find our UNcomfort zone to open our eyes to new ideas and new paths to explore.
Thanks again, J-Dog, for another simple life reminder.
Keith Banks, CSP is the President of LLoyd Staffing and a staffing and search industry leader for more than 25 years. He has expertise in talent acquisition, strategic workforce management and is the co-creator of an award winning vendor management program for staffing, Ringo. This technology, which he help pioneer in 2001, has revolutionized workforce management and changed the ways companies effectively manage the use of their temporary workers, contractors and locum tenens across a variety of industries.