About Purpose: Getting There is Half the Fun (But Only Half)

Getting There is Half the Fun (But Only Half)

Which of us hasn’t been tempted by that related (or even unrelated) business venture? An untapped market or an unserved niche, or the lure of a new idea? The entrepreneur in us thrills at the idea. And after all, getting there is half the fun (at least for those with personality styles that like to shape and risk).

My wife and I took a business trip last fall to Denver and decided to drive and make a vacation out of it. We plotted a route that avoided all freeways and took us to some sights we really wanted to see. Somewhere in Wyoming, we took a turn off our route to see what sounded like a great attraction. It was an unscheduled detour, but after all, we were right there. Why not seize the moment? We followed signs for the first couple turns, and then drove straight on, expecting to come upon our new destination at any time. Soon, we found ourselves on smaller, and less maintained roads. Then the roads turned into tracks. Then the tracks turned into little more than a trace car path through the Wyoming prairies.

Somewhere or another, we had lost our way. But we were having fun and we decided that as long as we were going roughly in the right direction to join back up with the main road, we would be okay. And we still might run across the anticipated sight. We were navigating roughly by the sun, since our maps had none of these roads on them.

(I should tell you that I am directionally impaired. If the sun is shining, and I know what time it is, and I’m in the northern climes where I’m familiar with the sun’s angles, I can tell what direction I’m going. More or less.)

Our sense of fun and adventure first began to wear thin as the detour turned into an hour. Then we began to get a little concerned as it stretched into two hours. Then we began to get downright nervous when the gas gauge began sending us those annoying warning beeps. But we were blessed. Soon we came upon an unmarked, but maintained road. We thought we knew approximately where we were, but a road crew soon told us we were miles away from where we thought, and in the wrong direction. A quick gas stop and a long hour’s drive brought us to a freeway and we completed our journey – never having seen the attraction that started it all.

Consultants always see teachable moments in everyday life. Here are four points.

Business can be fun, but you’re not in business for fun.
New business can be profitable – but only if you don’t lose sight of your core business.
Detours can be rewarding – but only if you have the resources to take them.
Adventure can be exciting – but only to an extent.

May I suggest four action steps for you to take? The first one NOW, today. The others if and when you are considering any new business ideas.

Go out right now and study your business plan. Remind yourself of your core business.
Check any new business or adjacencies against your mission. Do you really want to take this detour?
Set specific financial parameters for any new ventures. What are you willing to risk?
Always have a fall back plan. Make sure you can get back on the main highway before running out of gas, or fun.

About Purpose is about your purpose.

Aim: Identify and articulate your purpose.

Arm: Shape yourself around your purpose.

Act: Achieve your purpose.

Getting There is Half the Fun (But Only Half)