The GPS Can't Help a Parked Car

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Movement Creates Clarity

In both sport and life, we almost guarantee getting stuck when we wait for certainty.

Human beings hate uncertainty. Our brains are wired to seek predictability, control, and clarity. So when something feels unclear, our instinct is to prepare more, plan longer, and think our way forward.

The problem is preparation without motion often becomes a procrastination tactic.

We tell ourselves (consciously or subconsciously):

• Once I have more clarity, I’ll start.

• Once I feel confident, I’ll go.

• Once I have the tools or resources, I’ll begin.

• Once I know exactly how this will play out, then I’ll move.

But that moment rarely comes.

It’s like pulling out of a parking garage with your GPS on, but you can’t decipher if you should turn left or right. The map is up, but it hasn’t calibrated yet and the arrow is spinning.

And if you sit there long enough waiting for certainty, you don’t get clearer, you just stay parked.

The GPS can’t help a parked car. It needs motion. It needs data. And once you start moving (even if you guess wrong) it recalibrates. Take a wrong turn and it doesn’t judge you. It simply re-routes.

Life works the same way. Progress doesn’t come from perfect plans. It comes from movement, experimentation, and a bias toward action.

Clarity isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you create by moving.

Optimal Learning Doesn’t Happen on the Sidelines

I saw this phenomenon play out recently with the high school girls’ basketball team I’m volunteering with this winter. We have one young lady who is fairly new to the sport and it’s easy to spot the moments when the game is speeding up on her.

She struggles to grasp our plays, spacing on the court feels foreign to her, and when her first opportunity to get into a game came a couple months ago she hesitated and nearly begged us to stay on the bench.

She didn’t feel ready. She didn’t feel clear. She was waiting to know exactly where to go before stepping on the court.

I promised her she’ll develop her understanding and skills far quicker by learning on the court, as opposed to sitting on the sidelines. Standing on the sideline felt safer, but it wasn’t going to help her learn.

That moment highlights an important distinction described in The Performance Paradox by Eduardo Briceño, which is the difference between a performance mindset and a learning mindset.

A performance mindset is about execution. Everything is about getting it right, minimizing mistakes, and demonstrating the competence you’ve trained.

A learning mindset is about growth. In this perspective, we expect imperfection, we allow space for experimentation, and recognize that growth will occur by learning to make adjustments through feedback (including failures).

According to Briceño, tension comes when we apply a performance mindset to learning situations. That’s when athletes hesitate. That’s when people freeze. That’s when uncertainty becomes paralyzing instead of productive.

For coaches and leaders, this is where language and expectations matter. When we’re intentional about signaling that the process will be messy and that mistakes are part of learning, we remove pressure that slows growth.

More instruction doesn’t always equal more improvement. Explanation only goes so far until someone gets to try it on for themselves. Growth accelerates when people are allowed to move, test, and adapt.

Be Biased Toward Action

If you (or someone you lead) feel stuck right now, don’t consume yourself with what the perfect plan is or might be.

Ask a simpler question: What is the smallest action I could take that creates movement?

You don’t need to know the full solution to get started. We’re not always going to have a nice five-step roadmap. Just trust that when you make the first turn of the wheel and start moving you’ll get the feedback you need.

One of my favorite scenes that perfectly describes this comes from the children’s book, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, where the boy is walking through a dense forest.

That’s often how progress actually works. You don’t need to see the whole path. You just need to move enough for the path to start revealing itself.

Final Thoughts

Waiting for certainty often feels responsible, but it usually keeps us parked. Progress favors those willing to move, reroute, and learn in real time.

The GPS doesn’t need perfection and neither do the people you lead or coach.

Sometimes the most powerful message is simple: Go. We’ll figure it out as we move.

Inspiration for This Piece

• Briceño, E. (2023). The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action. Ballantine Books.