Own the direction even when you did not design the terrain.

The landscape you have to work with was shaped by history, other people, and luck, and you had no say in it. The heading you take across it is still yours. Accepting the terrain fully is what allows you to plan a real route rather than arguing with the map.

Describe your constraints as honestly as you can, then choose your direction inside them rather than despite them. The clarity about limits usually improves the plan. You are navigating, not designing the ground.