“Godin calls himself a teacher. He’d rather give his students a compass than a map. ‘I’m trying to say to people, just for a minute: Put on a set of glasses and see the world as I imagine it,’ he says. ‘Does it work for you? Does it feel right? Does it make sense? And, if it does, don’t do what I just said to do–that’s a cookie cutter. Invent your own next chapter.'” –Seth Godin in Entrepreneur Magazine, Feb 2013
Most people like to have a specific plan of action to follow. What’s the fastest way to get from point A to point B? So, we fire up Google Maps, type in our destination, then hit get directions.
This is fine much of the time. But life isn’t meant to be lived this way. We might know where we are, but we have no clue where we will end up later in life. And we often might be heading toward what we believe is the right destination, but one day we find out the place we are going to isn’t where we should be. Or, worse, that destination might not have ever existed in the first place.
A better approach to life is to live life by the compass. You know where you are. You have a good sense for the direction you should be heading. But you’re only desire is to move that direction. Figuring out the “right” or “best” path to get there isn’t important. It doesn’t matter.
Life is a journey. And it’s a short one. It’s better to enjoy the ride while you’re on it than to let life pass you by while you’re too worried about getting it right.
