A Successful Road

People who are in business radiate the image of success. We see them routinely surpass their goals and think, "Wow! They're on the expressway to Easy Street. They have money, confidence, and power." What we don't see is how most people bring their dreams to fruition.

We don't see the failures, setbacks, disappointments, and heartbreaks they survived before reaching their present stature. Most accomplished people have hit the speed bumps of non-supportive relatives and friends; potholes of financial setbacks; traffic jams of staffing issues; and of course, the accidents of Murphy's Law. What's the difference between success and failure? The winners simply keep on moving. When you don't reach your goals, you have a choice. Give up or try again.

Before reaching our destinations, we must first learn how to drive. Prepare for our journeys. Successful people spend years learning their craft and honing their skills. They study on their own and go through trial and error repeatedly. Eventually they're able to easily maneuver into positions that others struggle to enter.

Have you ever been delayed by road construction? You can be patient with slower traffic (Slow, but steady, wins the race.), take an alternate route (Hey, I found a better way!); or turn around and go home (Forget it. I'm giving up.). The latter choice is a short cut to the demise of your dreams.

Detours, although annoying, can take us on some of the most fabulous adventures we've ever had. Careers are often built on deviations from our usual travels. People ask us to do something outside of our normal realm. The next time we look up, the anomaly has become a profitable arm of our business, sometimes taking us to a higher road than we could have dreamed of.

The road to accomplishment is paved with many alternate routes. Do you want to stay in the same business and revamp it to achieve better revenues? (After all, you've learned from your mistakes. Haven't you?) Would you like to change your profession? Your major? Maybe you want to take a hiatus and rethink your future, or move to a new location.

A side road, like going back to school, can end up being a short cut to your dreams. You may seem like you've gone off track, but soon you'll be ahead of the pack. Go ahead, pick up that new skill set or update your expertise. Stand out in a crowd of competitors. Will your business be a Chevy or a Jaguar?

Pick the road signs that apply to you. Everyone thinks he's an expert when it comes to your business! You'll receive conflicting information as to which way to go, but if you define your own goals, you won't be sidetracked. Thank everyone. Then take the advice you think will work and leave the rest by the curb.

Mentors are safe bridges to our aspirations. They support us as we travel to our end objectives. Their advice may seem shaky or scary at times, but they've been where we're going. They make a trip worthwhile.

And how many family members can you fit in that car? Many people are looking for a free ride on your shoulders. Successful people have learned to say "no". Painful as it may be, sometimes we fly faster with less weight. If friends and family are willing to chip in for the gas or do some of the driving, that's different. Then they are adding to the progress of the trip. If not, you may have to love them from a distance for a while.

We set our own speed limits to success. How hard are you willing to work? Set a reasonable pace, not so fast that you miss important objectives, not so slow that you never reach your goal.

The priorities of our lives are like the lanes we drive in. Sometimes the fast lane, sometimes the slow. Let's segment our lives into the right lanes. Goals in the faster lanes, leisure activities in the slower ones. There are no real expressways to Fat City. The highways to quick success are overrun with people trying to get rich the easiest, fastest way...and no one is moving.

If you lose sight of your desired destination, don't fear. Stop and ask for directions. There's no shame in asking for help. There are experts in every field who will be flattered and willing to give you guidance. They can get you back on track.

Your spiritual faith is like relying on your headlights on a foggy road. You may only see a few feet ahead, but you know the road continues. Hold on to that trust. It's essential to success.

Accidents happen to the best of us. Sometimes they make us reroute our plans, but have you ever noticed how beautiful the scenery can be on an unplanned course? This may not be the way we intended to go, but new ventures can be found on this diversion.

Success is not free. Toll roads are necessities to success. Raising capital, getting loans, accumulating savings can bog down traffic and cause bottlenecks, but you won't reach your destination without them. Accept it.

We all suffer the potholes of financial setbacks, but they can lead to unexpected conduits of capital. In other words, we look harder, and in more places, for needed resources. Setbacks can bring out the best in us.

The intersections of our journeys are the choices we must make along the way. The choices are not necessarily good or bad; they just take us on different paths. A change in direction may be just what you needed to freshen up your ideas. And don't worry. You can always turn back and try the other road.

Our satisfaction finally comes when we reach our goal. Keep in mind, we never stay parked too long. There's always more road to travel.

Just remember, the light is always green if you choose to be successful.