I’ve always admired and been inspired by founders of startups who work towards bringing their ideas to life despite all the challenges that come their way. This quote reminded me of them.
Like them we all have dreams and desires. Simply intending or desiring a certain outcome is never enough. Most of us land up not moving forward purposefully on a path that would lead to our desired destination.
A simple example is running a marathon. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. However, just by continuing on my same routine, I’ll never ever get to the point of completing even a short 10km run! Desire is the starting point, but it is never enough to get us to any important destination in our life.
I love this quote from Alice in Wonderland:
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” said Alice.
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
Does this describe the direction in your life right now?
Two common mistaken notions that many of us fall prey to:
- I have plenty of time and someday, when I am not as busy with other important issues, I will get serious about succession planning.
- The journey required to develop and implement a thoughtful succession plan is simply too long, too hard or too complex.
The paralysis caused by these false beliefs can be overcome with these five words: Take the first step, today. That’s all that matters. Figure out a plan, start small, take that first step in the right direction.
Don’t dream of being a writer… spend 15 minutes each day writing. Don’t dream of being a great boss… buy a new book each week and mentor people. Don’t dream of running a marathon..start adding one more lap to your existing routine!
Your direction, not your intention, will determine your destination.
Kenrick Vaz 