(Pssssst… sometimes, getting it wrong can be the best thing to happen.)
More than halfway through a recent 5.8 mile loop hike, there were no signs that our trail was turning back toward the car.
Simple math made us suspect we missed a turn. Then finally, we came across a new trail that headed toward the Hudson River, a can’t-miss landmark.
The path took us through a series of tricky hairpin turns… all the way down a steep embankment. But it wasn’t very well traveled — unusual for most trails within spitting distance of NYC.
We knew something was off, but were confused about where we had gone wrong.
When we hit 5.8 miles… the car was still nowhere in sight.
And according to Google, we had more than another mile before we’d be closing the loop.
How could that even be possible? We followed the blue/green blaze from the moment we left the parking area.
With no other options, we continued on. Grateful we weren’t out of drinking water, dealing with less ideal weather conditions… or worse yet, seriously lost.
Or so we thought.
[DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNN!]
Because as it turns out we’d been “lost” from the moment we began the hike.
{Is this starting to sound like that “failed” project
you wish you’d never started?}
But we didn’t figure out what we’d done wrong until we were finally approaching the car after 7.35 miles…
…and noticed the trail across from where we entered.
So what went wrong?
{If only it was easy to clearly see — in real time —
what’s effed up when a project is going off the rails.}
Welp, turns out we were supposed to go SOUTH (red below) — not NORTH (blue / actual) 😂
We’d gotten “lucky” when we found the rogue trail that took us back to the car.
Sure, we could’ve doubled back on the original trail, but who wants to cover the same ground?!
{Like the humility of delivering the webinar again
— “due to popular demand” —
when in truth it’s a scramble to make up for
pitiful attendance rate and only 3 sales so far.}
Even though we put on an extra 1.5 miles, at least we found a new trail we enjoyed… along with a reminder to check our trail map more carefully when treading new territory.
Business owners often tell me, “I’ve GOT to get this next thing RIGHT or else”… believing that a misstep will spell doom for their future.
But it so rarely does.
In fact, it’s our mistakes that end up creating the biggest, best lessons. Even if the takeaway is, “Ugh, hated that. Won’t make that mistake again.”
Because more often than not, the extra distance from our delays far outweighs the downside.
{Like finally figuring out your peeps want “this”… not “that.”}
Just ask any wildly successful entrepreneur.
Not a single ONE would tell you they got everything 100% right, 100% of the time.
It’s the willingness to keep exploring that culminates in our success(es).
{Yep, now we’re getting somewhere!}
So take the pressure off yourself to try to get everything perfectly “right” — and embrace that your detours are what actually bring you closer to your ultimate destination.
I’m a better thought partner than hiking guide…
…so if you’re looking for someone to help you go BEYOND in your business, feel free to schedule a call with me. It’ll light the way to a new version of your business. 🔥 (Much faster than rubbing 2 sticks together ever will!)
