Sometimes, the best path ahead begins with a step back from the situation. While we might be reluctant to give up that step, we have to believe that it’s not the first step in a retreat and recognize that it’s the initial move to a better outcome. When you’re too close to a problem, it often helps to take a step back and look at it from a broader, or at least a different, perspective. We’ve all heard the saying “can’t see the forest for the trees,” and this is a great example of how we face many challenges as we work to make ourselves more self-reliant and less susceptible to threats to our way of life. If we get too focused on the minutiae or the individual aspects of a plan or goal, we can undermine our own efforts by missing other opportunities that may be more effective and efficient.