A few years ago my wife, daughter, her boy friend and me were at her boy friends lake house in Wisconsin. All day long we talked about putting the boat in the water. Well it was about 6:00 PM when we agreed to go get the boat from storage. Now her boyfriend grew up in the area and said, “I know a short cut.” You know where this is going? You guess it, the short cut was through back roads, trails, and dirt roads. Around 7:00 PM we were lost. Again from the drivers seat, “if we go around the lake, we will hit town.” At this point GPS was of no use. It was now 8:30 PM and we could see the lights of town. We finally arrived at the boat storage and not listening to the advice of “let’s do this tomorrow,” ”no we are here” and he attached the boat to the truck. On our way back, he knew of a “hidden” boat ramp or so we were told. It was now 10:00 PM and we were in someone’s yard. Looking out the side window, I could see there was a cook out with neighbors. The property owner was nice enough and directed us around the yard to the road (remember we were towing a boat…large boat). As we made a mess of his yard, we finally got to the road and thanked him. As a parting gift, we managed to knock down his road marker. Now at 11:30 PM we were home and decided to park the boat for tomorrow. Which is another story.
This experience led me to believe that our lives don’t come with directions, a road map, or a GPS device that we can fully rely on. This is true of our lives, careers and business ventures as well. It’s important to understand, as you embark on a new business endeavor, or continue on the entrepreneurial path you’re on – that it is not about the destination, but rather the journey.
Our lives don’t come with directions or a road map or a GPS device that we can fully rely on..
The journey of your personal and professional life will take numerous twists and turns, possible short cuts and wrong advice. You will undoubtedly will face roadblocks, short cuts which may even take you on a different route than the one you originally planned.
In the beginning of your career, when the possibilities seem endless, you might start off on a four-lane super highway, speeding toward your desired goals. But at some point, you decide that other things, such as your personal life is more important and you want to slow down and veer off to a two-lane highway. For some of us, we figured out that our original goals need to change, the urge to take a different exit becomes pressing and we decide to drive the scenic route on a one-lane road.
While some of these changes might be planned in advance, I submit as we go through life many are not. The secret to a successful journey is to be able to take a long look in the rear-view mirror and figure out if you are on the right road. Are 
you engaged at work? Are you passionate about what you do? Do you long to remove yourself off the corporate island and become an entrepreneur? If you run your own business are you questioning that decision? Do you need to reevaluate and change your brand, your goals, your business opportunity, your direction? So what is the “Secret To A Successful Journey?”
The real secret to a successful journey is to be able to look in the rear-view mirror and figure out which road to take next.
It’s important to frequently take the time to pause, reflect on where you are now and assess where you want to go. If you find you are not at the right destination, then it’s time to recalculate the journey and establish new milestones to drive toward. Take a different road. Take the next exit which may be a better path. Get off the Supper Highway that everyone is on. There’s no limit on how many times the road may change, it’s all about constantly redesigning the journey.
Think about these thoughts as your redesign your journey:
- Be patient, Careers weren’t built in a day and neither will your new life.
- Be open to the possibilities and don’t dismiss something without thinking it through. A close mind will always stay on a given path….right or Wrong!
- Always drive towards something better, rather than running away from what’s not working.
- Don’t go through this journey alone; it’s much more enriching to share the road.
- And it often takes a new road to create a masterpiece.
- Remember one of the greatest lessons Steve Jobs taught us when he said, “Passion is the difference between having a job or having a career.”
Always be open to the possibilities. Never dismiss something without thinking it through. Always drive toward something better rather than running from what’s not working. And never go through the journey alone!
Failing to look in the mirror might lead you to detour off the road, becoming disengaged and frustrated by a journey filled with wrong twists and turns and the “short-cut.”. There is no right and wrong set of directions for your life and career. This is not someone else’s journey – your parents, colleagues, friends or loved ones – it is yours.
Each of us has our own road that we need to follow. It’s all about being willing to take that long look, as many times as necessary and allow yourself to accept what you see reflected there. Understanding this will allow you to pass by or to recalculate entirely with less hesitation.
Every one of us is our own driver on the journey towards engagement and happiness. It doesn’t mean at different points we can’t have a navigator in the front seat or other companions on the drive, but it’s all about owning your personal life and career journey.
Every one of us is our own driver on the journey towards engagement and happiness.
As you take your drive, toward your goals remember it is okay to stop and smell the roses. Take a moment to see where you have come from and where you are going. Reevaluate if necessary and take a new road with less distractions and turns.
What you will find at the end of the road is personal development, accomplishment and satisfaction. Set back and watch the sunset with the knowledge that, “I did it.”
Cheers,
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