Your Road Trip To The Future

Let’s face it, the next year is going to pass whether we do anything different or not…

We all struggle with something, at some time, whether we acknowledge it or not. In a previous blog, we highlight that true happiness comes from the effort put in to achieve the outcome we are looking for.

So back to struggling because when I hit a wall or think something is too hard, I just need to remind myself that the next 1 year, 5 years and 10 years are going to pass whether I do the thing I think is too hard or not. So regardless of what I do I will pass through that time and things will either be what I want them to be, or I may have regrets that I did not do the thing I was ‘struggling’ with. Both options are potentially hard, so I can choose my hard. We can choose to do the hard work to achieve, or we can do the hard work to stay small, stay safe and have regrets. Everything is a choice…

Benjamin Franklin said, “Failing to plan, is planning to fail”

The way to navigate the next year or 5 years is to have a plan, a roadmap that will take you on your trip of adventure into the future that you want. This is not a new concept at all, however, so many people avoid having a plan, or struggle to develop one to achieve what they want. Benjamin Franklin said, “failing to plan, is planning to fail” and the fact is that many businesses and leaders fail because of a lack of an effective roadmap and structure to take that trip of adventure into the future that is going to arrive anyway!

Creating a plan is the easy part, understanding why seeing it like a roadmap is even more important so here are 3 perspectives to consider:

Perspective #1

Think of a road trip from one destination to another, for example, Melbourne to Sydney and let’s say you have never driven this trip. Creating your road map, showing which roads you will take, where you will stop over, and what towns or people to visit on the way becomes clearer and you then have a vision of what you want the experience of the road trip to be.

Having a plan for your business is the same. You want the plan to take you from where you are now, to where you want to be, your destination, and your goal and in doing so, you will know the milestones that will keep you going in the right direction towards your destination, your goals.

Perspective #2

Now let’s say that as you go on your road trip you see a few tourist routes that you were not aware existed. They look interesting and because you have planned your road trip you know you have the capability and capacity to do a bit of exploring. So, you go off down that road, to explore that town or the lookout and you decide it has been worthwhile and added value to your road trip. Then you get back on the main road and keep going with your new value add experiences and most likely photos and fabulous memories.

Your business plan allows you to take tourist routes as well. These are the shiny bright objects that can distract and can be a real thing for an entrepreneurial business leader. When we get caught up in the new shiny bright thing, we need to be able to identify if this will add value or detract from the goal you are wanting to achieve. Your road map allows you to get back on the road, and identify if there is room to include the new thing, or if it is added to the list for the next road trip, the one that you will take the following year with your plan.

Perspective #3

There may even be tourist routes that look great, however, when you finally go down that long dirt road that promised some fabulous scenery or experience you find a dead end with an even longer dirt track that leads to not much at all. You realise you have wasted your time, and may even feel annoyed that you have allowed yourself to get distracted, however, you also realised that everything is an experience to value and learn from. Your road map will give you constant feedback as to what is important to do to get back on track towards your destination.

It is the same as your plan. Every opportunity explored is an opportunity to learn. Thomas Edison found 10,000 ways how not to make a light bulb, but he never considered any of these as failures. There is no such thing as failure, only feedback. Because you have a solid road map as your plan, it provides the opportunity to think outside the box, explore different methods and avenues to achieve your goal, knowing that you will always be able to capture those learnings and get back on your trip, with your plan towards you gaols.

Keep these perspectives in mind, as you decide if you are willing to put the effort into developing a planning mindset, because that is what it is, a mindset. Planning is not a one-off, something to develop, put on a shelf and never look at. It is a working document that is used in your life every day, reviewed every week, month, quarter, and year. A great planning mindset will help you achieve the aspirations you have for your life because the next 5 years are going to pass whether you do, or whether you don’t!