Superintendent
Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Public Schools
There is a scene in the movie “The Art of Racing in the Rain” that has stuck with me. In the story, people wonder how is it that the race car driver can drive so well in the rain. From this question comes a very interesting quote, “No one knows what curves life will throw at you. But if the driver has the courage to create his own conditions, the rain is simply rain.” Many challenges in life and can simply be “rain” if you choose to take the reins.
We all face situations in which a plethora of unknowns or complications can happen. We sometimes simply wait for the eventual complication that will happen, and we know it will. Many times, we put it out of our minds until we have to respond to the eventual complication. But what if we meet that uncertainty and in so doing so grant ourselves the ability to create our own conditions?
When asked about driving in the rain the car driver talks about how you will lose traction at some point. With this in mind, the story makes another compelling statement, “Drivers are afraid of the rain… Rain amplifies your mistakes, and water on the track can make your car handle unpredictably. When something unpredictable happens, you have to react to it; if you’re at racing speed, you’re reacting too late.” He explains that he chooses when he will lose traction, he makes the choice. By making this choice he creates the conditions in which he faces the eventual challenge.
It is tempting to let change come to you. To wait until you have to react. The conditions you face become something you can point to when you lose traction. If only things had never changed, everything was fine the way it was. Was it… really? Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it is getting today. Things may be comfortable and familiar but chances are you aren’t satisfied with all the results you are getting.
Choosing to make your own conditions means accepting discomfort and the possibility your mistakes will be amplified. Meeting failure is an inevitable possibility if we choose to try a new solution but change is also inevitable. Without creating his own conditions, the car driver would be reacting too late. The results he was achieving would have been impossible. By embracing that success is impossible without failure, we can have the courage to create the conditions in which we meet change. We can do more than simply respond to it, we gain the opportunity to shape it.
The truth is we will all drive in the rain at some point. It takes courage to meet that change, to choose when you will lose traction. Even when you meet that challenge your mistakes will still be amplified and things still handle unpredictably. You are still facing uncertainty. The difference, is you give yourself time to react because you already know you will need to. You set the conditions and give yourself time to determine your own path in spite of the unpredictability and mistakes that will almost certainly occur. Embrace the rain.
Did you like this article? Be sure to check out Superindent Ludvigson’s EdTalks session on June 13.
