Is It Time for a New Path?

Do not follow where the path may lead.
​Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

We’re into that stretch of the summer where business goes up and down, dependent on what seeds of ideas you might have planted earlier in the year. For the most part, everyone has opportunities to take a little time and think through where you’ve been headed with your business.

I shared this same theme recently on my personal blog – don’t be afraid to consider changing the direction of your career/business.

Author, Lou Mitchell, after sharing the quote above wrote: Following well-trodden paths can lead to conformity, while blazing new trails fosters innovations and personal fulfillment. By daring to be different and create our own way, we contribute original ideas and inspire others to do the same.

When was the last time you worked on something completely different from what you do every day? We get too comfortable in our routines and fail to seize the opportunities that come along to take a different path. Then, one day, we start to lose interest in whatever career path we’ve been on…our heart just isn’t in it, yet there are people who depend on us, so we keep trudging along.

But here’s the most fun part of today’s post – this isn’t just about your business but the products and services you offer. For example, when was the last time you called Marathon and simply asked, “What’s new?” Technology NEVER slows down and neither does the team at Marathon.

So many of you have been stuck with the same products for years. As a result, you’re missing so many opportunities to create more excitement with your target audience. 

Or maybe you’re just in a rut and it’s time to take a break – step back and think about what might be missing. Use the innermost circle of your network as a sounding board. Your most trusted friends know you the best, but so often we’re afraid to ask for help. The point is, if you’re approaching burnout, mixing things up a little might be just what you need most. Maybe it’s just taking time off to chill and reflect on future paths.

Years ago, Dean Collins, one of the industry’s most innovative commercial photographers and educators, was asked, “Aren’t you afraid people will copy everything you’re teaching and do the same thing you’re doing?” Dean’s answer, “By the time they do, I’ll be onto something else!”

Blaze your own trail in life. Make your own choices and make your own mistakes.
It’s the only way you’ll find your own happiness, not someone else’s.
M. Leighton