There are times in your journey when you know for sure where you are heading, but sometimes, you have to set off on a hunch without much clarity as to the destination.
[featured-image single_newwindow=”false”](Image courtesy of Dollar Photo Club)[/featured-image]
We left the running of the world’s financial markets to people we thought knew what they were doing. Now we know better. A lot of these guys were fumbling their way around, not having a clue of what was happening and hoping it all ends up well. It didn’t.
Step out in faith
There is a story about a man who left the comfort of his parent’s house and set off on a journey to a far country. Today over 4000 years after he took the first step, the journey of Abraham continues in the nation birthed from his trusting his instincts.
What is keeping you in the same place?
You must have heard it somewhere that you need a vision to start a business, you need to start with an end in mind or some picture of what the end looks like. That is very true. But at the same time the search for a vision could well be a part of the journey. All you need to know to begin your journey is the next step.
Here are three lessons from my journey so far:
1. Trust your instincts
You have to begin to train yourself to trust your gut feelings. This is that part of you that you cannot control and you sometimes do not understand. You can silence it or you can let it loose.
2. Take one step at a time
As the saying goes, “no one tests the depth of the water with both feet“. Keep your day job and test your business idea with some real products and customers. Don’t bet your house on your fantastic business idea. It just might not be what the customers want.
3. Be flexible and be prepared to change direction at any time.
Someone once said, “it is much easier to steer a moving vehicle than a stationary one”. I sometimes get told that I am too flexible and unstable. The reason is that I had no clarity as to how it will turn out when I started and so what looks like a change of mind is actually a reassessment of the goals in light of greater visibility and insight that comes with movement.
Be courageous and start
Remember that courage is not an absence of fear. So feel the fear and do it anyway.
The world needs leaders who are courageous enough to go forward despite not knowing what the future holds and are humble enough to admit it and change course when they are wrong. Don’t wait for all the lights to turn green, move on at the first green light.
Question: Have you ever embarked on a journey without an end in sight?
[shareable cite=”Ralph W. Emerson”]Do not go where there is a path. Instead go where others haven’t gone, and leave a trail [/shareable]