Not Everyone Will Guide You Toward Your Goals—Some Will Push You Off Course

The 2025 College World Series had its fair share of drama, but one moment stood out: the ejection of Coastal Carolina's head coach Kevin Schnall after a controversial exchange with umpire Angel Campos. The call that set everything in motion? A questionable pitch decision, one that led Schnall to argue and eventually be thrown out of the game. What followed wasn’t just about the game—it was a stark reminder of how, at times, the direction we’re pushed in isn’t the direction we want to go.

The Umpire’s Call: A Metaphor for Misguided Direction

Much like the umpire’s incorrect call, life often throws us wrong directions, especially when others are involved in our decision-making process. In Schnall’s case, his response to the umpire’s call wasn’t just about the missed pitch—it was about the misdirection that happened when he was wrongly ejected from the game. Similarly, in life, we are sometimes pushed off course by people who don’t fully understand our journey or the goals we are trying to achieve.

It’s a frustrating reality that not everyone you meet will help guide you toward your goals. Some might even push you in the wrong direction—whether it’s through bad advice, misunderstandings, or intentional interference. And much like Coach Schnall had to recover from an unwarranted ejection, we too have to navigate the consequences of misguided direction.

The Emotional Systems That Shape Our Path

In my book Placed: A Field Guide to the System You’ve Always Felt but Never Named, I talk about how emotional systems play a role in shaping our decisions, paths, and relationships. The emotional systems that guide us aren’t always straightforward, but they are always at play. Just like Schnall’s decision to argue against the umpire’s call, sometimes we emotionally react to things that feel wrong or misaligned. The trick is to not let those missteps completely derail you. Instead, use them to reinforce your focus and clarify your path.