Stories of drought in the west led me to fear too little water when I arrived at Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. I was wrong. Our five days and 53 miles of paddling down the Green River were gorgeous, fascinating, and nerve-wracking.

High water meant the normally copious sandbars were submerged along with the campsites and picnic sites they usually provided. The heralded side canyons with their sparkling trickles and mostly dry creek beds were nowhere to be found. Our shoreline came in three flavors:

1. Vertical walls,
2. Quicksand muck, and
3. An invasive called Tamarisk so thick it may as well have been another vertical wall

My companions could not understand why I, an expert canoeist, would be anxious. The answer was simple. We had so few options! There was no going back and extremely few opportunities to get off the water. One of the things I do for my clients is create the clarity that allows them to recognize the best options when they see them. Tough to pick the best option when you haven’t any! We were at the mercy of rising water, falling water, flash floods, heavy winds, storms, the setting sun, and luck. For me, luck is not a strategy.

Another thing I frequently do is increase the number and quality of options my clients can see. Wish I could have pulled that trick on the Green. A fast and powerful river with a quicksand bottom holds all the cards. I did it once though, when the water level fell a foot and a half leaving our canoes mired in muck a hundred yards from flowing water. No time for that story here, but remind me to tell you the next time we talk!

In the meantime, I suggest you distinguish between your average decision and those where there is no going back, where you are putting your reputation, momentum, or assets on the line. Aim-fire-aim-fire is a great way to learn, but not when your actions launch you on an irreversible course or a fast, powerful river with a quicksand bottom.