Are we there yet [insert whiney whinge from the back seat]

• The road of life twists and turns, and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination. Don Williams Jnr, American Novelist
• Focus on the journey not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.  Greg Anderson American Author
• It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.  Ursula K Leguin  American Author

Isn’t it so refreshing to be reminded of how much of our life is about the journey, the here and the now; the being in the moment?

Give me a break!  I don’t want the journey I want the results, the end product and I want it now!  ARE WE THERE YET!!!!!!

Journey for me has to involve international travel of at least 5 hours flying time plus great food, accommodation and enjoying different cultures.  That’s a journey. Another confession – I hate the journey.  I really do. Just ask anyone who has lived with me or worked with me.  I am more than happy for other’s to be on the journey, especially if their journey gets me closer to my DESTINATION. 

We write to do lists ; we schedule our diaries; we prioritise the many many demands on time and energy.  We write 90 day plans; 12 month plans and 5 year plans.  Is this the sum total of all that is the journey for us as Business women.

Are we so driven to ARRIVE that the journey doesn’t really get a spare thought?  I wonder what our Business plans would look like if we created space to think of the journey?  If we spent time and energy creatively reflecting on how we want to proceed in the journey to the destination.

Is this why so many plans, to do lists, schedules fail?  Is it because we haven’t thought about how we want the journey to unfold?

If we sat down at day 1, year 1 of your business and wrote down the following journey:

• You will work really hard sometimes up to 80 hours per week
• You will be a slave to your business for at least the next 1-3 years
• You will neglect your health and your loved ones for the sake of your business
• You will question why you made the decision to be a business owner and wonder how long it would take you to update your resume to get a job where there isn’t as much pressure.

Why aren’t we better at building our journey? If we desire to have balance and certainty around our plans and ultimately our business; then we actually have a responsibility to plan activities that assist us to be in the moment, to enjoy the journey, to be a part of the process while we are in it.  Doesn’t that make good business sense?

My challenge as a business woman is that I don’t enjoy journey.  I don’t like process.  I am focused on results, outcomes and hard data.  I am driven, purposeful and demanding of myself and others. I know this about myself and accept it as bringing strength and determination. So I have been forced to look at what the point of me being in business is.  It’s more than success, outcomes, achievement.  It’s about people, purpose, and the action steps along the way.  It’s about the journey.

Are we there yet?  [Insert curious, inquiring and playful tone]. 

If you have the planning and the doing down.  If you have that working well for you.  Then take up this challenge.  What is the point of your business? What will the journey be like?

I would love to know what you are thinking  –please leave a comment below and lets start a conversation

Here’s to your success.

Jo