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How Do We Know the Destination if No One Has Given Us the Map?

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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.

Mile Markers on the Way to Your Destination

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It’s Important to Measure Your Progress as You Go

If you aren’t intentional about your actions, you will find yourself being distracted by shinny objects. This doesn’t mean that shiny things aren’t worth the distraction. What it does mean is…you lost your focus. Unless your mission for achieving your vision involves finding shiny objects…ignore it and focus on your destination.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve discussed how a Goal Prioritization System is similar to a GPS in your vehicle. If you put in the right information, it will help you reach your destination. How to determine your destination by opening your mind to big dreams and discovering what your purpose is. And then how to turn your dream into a clear vision.

Setting goals and taking action is the best way to reach your destination.

Just like taking a trip in your vehicle, you should always be aware of where you are in relation to where you are coming from and going to. You need to constantly be paying attention to your fuel level, where the fuel stops are, how fast you’re going, where the rest stops are located, etc. The same is true for traveling through life heading to your destination.

In the last post I shared my dreams for the future and the vision of where I plan to be in seven years. I’ve always been a big dreamer, but big dreams don’t happen without action. For me the next step is the hardest to implement.

Dreaming is a lot easier than doing.

Everything I do should be advancing me toward my dream destination. If not, then I shouldn’t do it. This is critical, but hard for me. By nature, I want to do it all. I need to be intentional about not chasing shiny.

To reach my vision it is going to require a lot of different pieces and specific measurements. For today’s example we’ll look at expanding my customer base.

In my vision I state:

…“reaching hundreds of thousands of people around the world”…

How are we going to expand our customer base from 32 to “hundreds of thousands of people” by the end of 2027? To do this, we need a plan with some ways to track the progress.

If we can increase the number by 200% each year, this can be accomplished. That seems like a pretty big number…and it is.

  • 2020 – 32 x 200% = 64 + 32 = 96
  • 2021 – 96 x 200% = 192 + 96 = 288
  • 2022 – 288 x 200% = 576 + 288 = 864
  • 2023 – 864 x 200% = 1,728 + 864 = 2,592
  • 2024 – 2,592 x 200% = 5,184 + 2,592 = 7,776
  • 2025 – 7,776 x 200% = 15,552 + 7,776 = 23,328
  • 2026 – 23,328 x 200% = 46,656 + 23,328 = 69,984
  • 2027 – 69,984 x 200% = 139,968 + 69,984 = 209,952

At first this looks impossible. If you stop and think about it…all it takes is for everyone to just bring 2 new people to the group.

That doesn’t seem so impossible.

Let’s break this down some more. If we’re going expand our customer base by 64 people by the end of 2020, we need to add 8 new people each month from now to the end of the year. Up to this point this process is still fun…for me.

What really makes this process the most difficult is that the customer base is just one small piece of the overall vision. In addition to the customers we need to have something to sell that they want to buy. We need to balance the physical construction projects with the development of products and services. We need to keep the invoicing done and the bills paid. And on and on…

If one thing isn’t working, it’s time to try something new. Don’t give up. It is easy to be overwhelmed when looking at the big picture. It’s no different than taking a big trip. You have a dream, you determine the destination, you map out the route…

But if you don’t go by some mile markers, you’re never going to get there.

What is the Address of Your Vision?

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Clearing the Fog from Your Dream

You dream of your beautiful life out there in the future. You look around and see other people’s amazing lives. What are they doing that you aren’t? The dream that you have for life is so amazing that you question if it’s even a remote possibility.

When we have big dreams…I’m talking really, really big dreams, it’s easy to convince ourselves that they are unrealistic, and can never be achieved. God is a big God and He has big dreams. We’re made in His image…so wouldn’t we naturally have big dreams too?

If your dream is in alignment with God’s, then it definitely IS possible.

The first thing to remember is that everyone’s “amazing dream life” is different. Don’t try to be someone else. Your job is to be you, the best you, not them.

Last week I wrote about listening to God to determine your destination. Giving that dream an address is where the work begins. As long as it stays a dream, we don’t have to DO anything. We can just sit here and look at it, imagining how much fun it would be.

I have some pretty big dreams. Things that excite me when I think about them. Things that some people would see as frivolous, shallow or self-centered. Remember what I said earlier…everyone’s dream life is different.

My dreams for the future currently, in no particular order:

  • Be debt free
  • Add on and remodel our home
  • Travel
  • Own vacation homes
  • Own a NASCAR team
  • Own rental properties – houses, commercial, farmland
  • Build a lifted up 4-wheel drive truck for playing with
  • Have trailers, tractors, loaders, etc.
  • Keep Debby in an almost new vehicle of her choosing
  • Keep my truck maintained and repaired, in like new condition with a goal of putting a million miles on it
  • Build, repair and maintain our buildings, fences, yard, etc. at home
  • Own a plane with an office space and ability to haul my truck
  • Buy old commercial buildings and renovate them back to like new condition

I share these not in a braggadocious way, but to show you how to take the next step from these big dreams to a vision. Often the biggest accomplishments are not the dreams themselves, but the things learned as we work toward them.

My ultimate success is not determined by these dreams being achieved.

I need the address for a vision so that I can enter it into the Goal Prioritization System? I have to determine some specific things needed for these dreams to become a reality. Vision is the act or power of anticipating that which will be. It is something that is seen and perceived.

If I am going to turn my dreams into reality, I need to use my power and act in anticipation of what I perceive. I need to implement my vision.

My vision for 2027:

The business is reaching hundreds of thousands of people around the world helping them find solutions for building their dreams. The focus is on the construction industry and customers, but not limited to that. Solutions for building better businesses, dreams and lives are the same as constructing quality buildings and apply to everyone, everywhere.

The business is generating enough revenue to make it possible to do things that are changing the trajectory of my family, business associates, church, various ministries, worthwhile causes, organizations, the community, the country and the world. The eight-figure gross revenue is not spent or used in a flaunty flamboyant way or viewed as evil or wrong. It is used to enjoy life. It is managed in a way as to not spoil future generations, but rather to leave a responsible legacy. The revenue is not the goal, it is a tool being used.

These goals are achieved through construction, coaching, consulting and educating both in person and virtually. Making this size of impact requires the help of multiple people in a variety of ways. I am not able to do this alone and am blessed with an amazing team that helps carry the load.

My life is lived in abundance, not in scarcity thinking. I am blessed and generously share these blessing with family, friends, church, community and the world.

Now we have an address that we can enter into the Goal Prioritization System. This let’s us determine which direction to head. Next, we need to make sure we are ready to start the trip. Establish how far we can get on a tank of fuel, make sure we have a spare tire, find out where the fuel stops are and how far we can go on a tank of fuel.

Next week we’ll work to break the vision down into goals.

How Do I Even Know Where There Is?

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By Listening to the Still Small Voice That’s in Your Heart

We’re all looking for a road map to our destiny. We want a crystal-clear plan laid out so that we know what to expect around each and every turn. Life doesn’t work that way.

One certainty is…life is uncertain.

This isn’t what we want to hear. We want all the answers before we start the journey. So…if there is no certainty, why do we bother trying to figure out our destination? How do we know which direction to start? If we let it, this uncertainty causes us to stay where we are and not move.

If you don’t move you will never get any closer to your destination.

Last week’s solution was about getting from here to there. It compared a Global Positioning System to life’s GPS, a Goal Prioritization System. This system will help you to determine what your destination is and the steps to take to get there.

This system consists of four parts.

DREAMS   →   VISIONS   →   GOALS   →   ACTIONS

Knowing where your ‘there’ (destination or purpose) is starts with your dream. This consists of thoughts, ideas, images, sensations, emotions, that occur involuntarily in your subconscious. They are a part of you that comes from someplace outside of you. This is God’s way of communicating your ‘there’ (destination or purpose) to you.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah was feeling overwhelmed and alone in his task. He was sure he had been doing ‘the thing’ he was called to do, but things didn’t seem to be going as planned. God spoke to Elijah in a still small voice and reassured him that he was headed in the right direction.

God is speaking to us. It may be a small inaudible voice, or it may be a smack in the head. We make the destination search more complicated than it is. We tend to over-think this process. The important thing is to listen and to hear what He says.

We need to do more than just listen with our ears we need to hear with our hearts.

How do we hear with our hearts? We take inventory of who we are by asking some questions.

  • What things am I good at? Skills that come naturally to me.
  • What things do I love to do? Things that I must force myself to take breaks from doing and would do for free.
  • What situations and life lessons have I learned? My unique experiences and situations are unique to me.
  • Different personalities work better in different vocations. What things fit with my personality?

These are examples of questions to ask ourselves. After answering these and similar ones we will know our destination. When we feel our destination, it is an amazing thing.

Now that I know where my ‘THERE’ is…. how do I get there?

At this point the destination is determined, but still a little fuzzy. How do we put an address to it so we can enter it into life’s GPS? This is done by turning that dream into a vision.

Next week we’ll turn the dream into a vision and give it an address.

What Will the Cost of the Trip Be?

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It’s Important to Know the Destination Before You Start Your Journey

Intentional goal setting, including writing them down, is directly connected to the successful outcome of goals. For years we have heard of how often New Year’s resolutions fail. Some statistics show that as much as 60 percent of people abandon them within the first six months. This is due to a lack of commitment.

Jesus’ goal was set from the very beginning. He knew the cost and the destination before He started, He never lost sight or veered from it. Even knowing the cost, He was willing to commit to it. He knew the goal was worth the ultimate cost. We see this in Luke 13:31-35 when He is unwilling to stop doing His work even when confronted by the enemy.

We need to determine where we want to go in this life and beyond and realize it is worth the cost.

Jesus uses the analogy of a hen gathering chicks under her wings in this Scripture. Pastor Lee told a story of a chicken house that was burned down. When looking through the ashes the farmer found a dead hen laying on the floor, her feathers burnt off her back. As he rolled her over chicks came running out, still alive. She put the chicks needs ahead of her own.

We are chicks having had the ultimate price paid for us. We need to repay that gift by being the hen and put other’s ahead of ourselves.

Often, we head off in a direction without thinking it through. We think we have it all figured out. Then when we run into a barricade, we continue bouncing off it, still thinking we know best. Many times, after we have either crashed through or given up, we find there was a better way.

A good example of this barricade banging is when a young boy was sick in the hospital. A doctor who specialized in his illness was called in. While driving to the hospital the doctor was confronted at a stoplight by a man with a gun. The doctor tried to explain the dire emergency, but the man didn’t care. He wanted the doctor’s car, so the doctor gave it to him.

After the doctor finally hailed a cab and caught a train, he made it to the hospital, but it was too late, the boy had died. The doctor was shown to the family in the waiting room. There stood the man who had stolen his car. It was the boy’s father. The father refused to listen to the man who could have saved his son. Too often this is the way we treat the One who can save us. We just keep banging into the barricades over and over and over. Jesus doesn’t want this for us.

The price for our eternal journey has been paid. We just need choose the destination.