Taking a New Road Home

William Tecumseh Sherman is regarded as a great United States General and was largely responsible for the Union victory in the Civil War.

In many of his duty posts, from Florida to California to New Orleans, Sherman spent his free time surveying the countryside on horseback. On these rides, he became intimately familiar with the geography of the areas where he lived and worked.

Sherman deepened his knowledge of the territory using his “old rule never to return by the road [he] had come.”

Knowledge of the territory proved invaluable in his famous March to the Sea, as in many of his other military victories.

Sherman realized success, in part, through his study of the land and his constant, intentional exposure to new territory.

Similarly, victory in your life can be realized by making a habit of never returning by the road upon which you arrived.

Opening yourself to new experiences creates empathy and understanding, which fosters connection and cooperation.

Using your free time to experience new things, makes you a more effective person.

Had Sherman spent his evenings playing cards at the saloon rather than scouting the countryside, we probably wouldn’t know his name.

Today’s version of cards at the saloon could be a Netflix binge or hours playing Fortnite.

Scouting the countryside could take many forms.

Finding your new road

It’s an easy practice to begin. You can literally start by taking a different route home from work. Then the next day, maybe you sit somewhere new while eating your lunch.

Maybe within a couple weeks, you‘re comfortable enough to try a different church on Sunday. Then eventually attend a service for an entirely different religion.

Conversion isn’t the idea, but perspective is.

Maybe religion isn’t your thing. But maybe you eat a steak for dinner every night.

Taking a different road home for you might mean talking to the vegan in your office.

Ask her what she likes to eat.

Ask her how she prepares it and if she could share some recipes with you.

Share a vegan meal with that co-worker and listen to her thoughts on veganism.

You don’t have to agree or even like the food, but the idea is to gain some perspective.

The road I found

For two years, I spent one evening each month at a high school in the Bronx. I was part of a program called iMentor, which pairs high school students from low income areas with young college educated professionals.

As the young college educated professional, I can say for sure I gained more than I helped.

The experience was humbling. Where my parents drove me allover the state looking at colleges, filled out my paperwork, and helped me pay tuition, these kids were largely on their own.

Many of their parents were first generation immigrants who didn’t speak English, let alone attend college. They worked multiple jobs to pay the bills – helping with tuition wasn’t even a possibility.

I got a glimpse of what it’s like to be a young adult without much guidance, trying to make a better life for yourself. I gained an appreciation for the struggles faced by others – struggles that never even crossed my mind as a kid.

And it only took one night each month.

Our experiences can bring us together

It’s easy to form opinions based on one perspective, but these opinions don’t bring us together.

They result in arguments rather than agreements and stalemates rather than progress.

The examples are endless. Break the funk. Shake it up. Take a new road home.

At the least, it adds some color to your life. Best case, it makes you a better listener, a better communicator, a more understanding neighbor, and a more effective citizen.

I have a long way to go on this one, but as Sherman illustrated,it’s crucial for success.

Will you follow his example? Progress is waiting just beyond the fork in the road.