It’s a Puzzle to Solve, not a Predetermined Destination
As self-employed entrepreneurs this is the hardest question to answer. We constantly struggle with questions like –
- Where am I going?
- What should I do first?
- How do I build a customer base?
- What’s the most important thing?
- How do I know if this is the right thing?
We know there is a destination, but we don’t know what it is or where it’s located. We don’t know which direction to turn.
We’re looking for a map, we expect one, but there isn’t any.
This is the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs. We know there’s a need for which we have to offer. There’s something that we’re supposed to do, we can feel it…but what is it EXACTLY?
What if I’m wrong? This sense of uncertainty keeps us from doing anything or incentivizes us to do less important things. Things that do nothing to move us toward our destination.
The question of “Every time I start to do something, it feels like something derails me. What should I do to move forward?”, came up in our mastermind this week. As we talked, it became glaringly clear that all of us in the group are looking for the answer to that question. We were looking for what to do and how to do it. We’re looking for a “map”.
We just want a map so that we know where we’re going and how to get there.
Everyone in the group is working hard to reach their business destination. And every one of us has the same questions. (See examples above)
As we discussed, it occurred to me…we knew the answers…we were all answering each other’s questions that are the same as our own. So, if we know the right answers, why are we still asking the questions?
The problem isn’t the questions or the answers…it’s a lack of movement.
We’re approaching our businesses as if there’s a map ready for us to follow…there’s not. As entrepreneurs, we’re going places where few or maybe no one has been before.
Imagine explorers like Lewis and Clark heading to places unknown. They had no map or GPS to tell them where to go. They had no specific destination, just find a way to the Pacific Ocean. They were commissioned to explore and map the new territory and find a practical route across the western half of the continent.
If they had continually questioned themselves, they would still be in St. Louis.
Instead, they took the information that they had, made a decision based on that information and started moving. Granted, along the way they ran into obstacles that they had to go over, around or through.
We are our own roadblocks.
The most important thing is to do something. Take that first step and move forward. You can make adjustments and recalculate as you go.
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
Will Rogers
“The most productive people start with purpose and use it like a compass. They allow purpose to be the guiding force in determining the priority that drives their actions.”
Keller, Gary; Papasan, Jay. The ONE Thing (p. 105). Bard Press. Kindle Edition.
The first step to reaching your destination is determining your purpose. It’s that thing you feel deep down in your core but have trouble figuring out.
You’ll never get to your destination if you don’t start moving.
