Don’t commit to a time-frame unless you and others who might be involved are certain you can meet it.

Never guarantee anything unless you are prepared to meet or exceed it every time.

The End of the Donnor Party

While the story of the Donnor Party is tragic, it is also full of examples of how our human tendencies can veer us off track and bring tragedy into our lives.  If Donnor had made it to California, I suspect his list of lessons learned would be similar to mine:

• Beware of easy gain.
• Don’t do anything that is important in a hurry.
• The shortest path between two points is rarely a straight line.
• Listen to cautions.
• Do your research.
• Protect your assets.
• Act with humility, admit error and accept adjustment.

 Next time you set out to take an important journey be aware of your tendencies to take your “Hastings Cutoff.” If you just took one…go back, NOW!