Truth 28. The wrong decision is better than none at all

A Swiss army unit was hopelessly lost during survival maneuvers in the Alps. It was cold. The team had limited food. Then one of the soldiers found a map in his backpack. They followed the map and made it back to base camp. They were saved!

When their commander examined the map, he was shocked to find that they were following the wrong map. It wasn't a map of the Alps at all. It was a map of the Pyrenees. They had found their way back by following the wrong map. If they hadn't found the map, they might have spent hours or days waiting for help to arrive. Instead, they walked out. It's often better to move forward based on the wrong map than to sit still and starve. When all else fails, do something!

In kayaking, it's often a good idea to take your time picking your way through a rapid, stopping in eddies to inspect the next drop or scouting from the shore. But when you're committed to big water, the best approach is usually to paddle like you mean it. Keeping your paddle in the water and moving decisively forward adds to the stability of the boat and improves your ability to maneuver.

This approach defies every instinct we have, of course. I remember that one of the spots I swam while kayaking in the Grand Canyon was a giant wave/hole at the bottom of a rapid called Hermit. The river guides had warned us that a 30-foot motor launch had been capsized by this monster, which had opened up when some rocks shifted the year before. Naturally, I paddled right into it. And my reaction was the typical deer-in-headlights response to staring into the mouth of such a beast. The next thing I knew, I was so deep in the water that there was no way out. But if I had resisted this state of shock and just paddled aggressively, I might have been able to punch right through it as others did.

In making decisions, we need to be cautious about falling prey to such paralysis. If you're facing a terrifying decision with serious implications, it's not the time to be faint of heart. Paddle boldy into it. If it's certain death to stay in your camp, then follow the map—even if it's the wrong map. You can correct your course on-the-fly. If you're perched on the precipice of a massive wave where there's no turning back, paddle boldly forward. Sometimes that act of bold commitment is what will lead you through the uncertainty of a difficult decision.

So if you're faced with a decision that is overwhelming in a way that leads to paralysis, if it's clear that the time for thinking is over and the time for acting has arrived, move forward with boldness. You may be following the wrong map but still arrive safely home.