The other day my wife and I were driving somewhere and, like many people these days, I had my GPS guiding me along the way. We have come to rely on our GPS as our navigator. In fact, we even named her. We call her Winnie.
Now before we go any further, I need to make a confession. I am not always the most obedient to following Winnie’s directions.
In that calm and professional voice, Winnie may say, “turn right” and sometimes I say out loud, “I’ll think about it, Winnie.” When she says “stay to the left”, I start wondering if maybe the right lane looks more fun. When she may say, “take the next exit.” I suddenly become convinced that I know a better route even though I have not been to that part of town in three years.
For reasons I still cannot explain, I have a habit of occasionally ignoring perfectly good directions from our dedicated guide, Winnie. My wife has noticed and kids have noticed. In fact, I am pretty sure my entire family has noticed. There have been many occasions when Winnie calmly announces an upcoming turn and everyone in the vehicle quietly waits to see whether I will actually follow it.
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. When I miss a turn, my wife usually gives me that look. You know the look. It is the look that says, “Winnie literally told you what to do.” Then one of the kids chimes in. “Dad, why didn’t you turn?” Then another one says, “I thought you said you were following Winnie.” And someone else says, “Wasn’t that the exit right there?”
Suddenly I feel like I am standing in front of a panel of judges explaining my driving decisions. What fascinates me, however, is that Winnie never joins the discussion. She never gets frustrated. She never says, “Seriously? We just talked about this.” She never says, “You missed another turn. What is wrong with you?”
Instead, she calmly pauses for a moment and then says something remarkably simple. “Recalculating route.” That’s it! No judgment or criticism or even a lecture. No reminder of the last five turns I ignored. Just a calm adjustment and a new path forward.
I started thinking about that recently. Winnie never says, “You made a mistake.” She simply says, “Recalculating route.” Maybe there is a lesson in that for me (and for all of us.) Because life rarely goes exactly according to plan.
Sometimes we take wrong turns, sometimes we miss exits and sometimes we get distracted. Sometimes we intentionally ignore directions because we think we know better. Sometimes we think we actually do know better only to discover twenty minutes later that we definitely did not. Yet somehow we keep moving, adjust, learn and we recalculate.
And eventually, if we stay committed to the destination, we usually get where we were trying to go.
So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!
One of the biggest challenges in business is learning how to respond when things do not go according to plan.
Maybe you launched a product that nobody bought. Maybe you sent an email with a broken link. Maybe you spent money on advertising that produced nothing but frustration. Maybe a customer points out a mistake. Maybe a business partner notices something you overlooked. Maybe a mentor tells you that your strategy needs work.
Or maybe the person giving you the hardest criticism is the one staring back at you in the mirror every morning.
The truth is that mistakes are not evidence of failure, they are evidence that you are doing something. Nobody builds a successful business without making wrong turns along the way.
The people who eventually succeed are usually the people who learn how to adjust without quitting. Unfortunately, many of us treat ourselves far worse than any GPS ever would. We make one mistake and suddenly we become our own harshest critic. We replay the error repeatedly and we question our abilities. And even worse, we wonder whether we are capable of succeeding at all.
Meanwhile, the GPS would simply say, “Recalculating route.”
What if we learned to give ourselves a little more grace? What if we acknowledged the mistake, learned the lesson, adjusted the course, and kept moving? That does not mean we ignore feedback. In fact, good feedback is one of the greatest gifts we can receive. Customers, coworkers, partners, mentors, and friends often help us see blind spots we cannot see ourselves.
The key is learning to receive correction without allowing it to define our worth. You must always remember that we are human and we are not perfect. That is not a flaw in the design. That is part of the design. Our imperfections create opportunities for growth, learning, humility, and connection.
In many ways, we are imperfectly perfect and that is what makes us uniquely human.
Here Are Five Reasons Why We Should Be Kind To Ourselves And Gracious Toward Others When Mistakes Happen
- Everyone misses a turn occasionally. No one gets everything right the first time. Mistakes are part of growth.
- Learning usually comes from correction. Some of our greatest lessons arrive through feedback we did not want to hear.
- Harsh criticism rarely improves performance. Encouragement and guidance tend to produce far better results than shame and blame.
- Today’s detour may reveal tomorrow’s opportunity. Many successful businesses were built after unexpected setbacks forced a new direction.
- Grace creates stronger relationships. People remember how you made them feel when they were struggling. Kindness builds trust.
Now, before we completely hand our lives over to GPS systems, there is another lesson worth mentioning. While following directions is important, we must not forget and take it for granted that guidance, experience and wisdom matters.
But there are times when GPS gets things wrong. Sometimes road construction appears before the map updates. Sometimes traffic conditions change. Sometimes local knowledge beats technology.
That is why GPS is a guide, not a replacement for common sense. The same is true in business. Mentors, books, courses, experts and analytics are guides. They can help point us in the right direction, but they cannot replace judgment, experience, and intuition.
The goal is not blind obedience, the goal is informed decision making. Have the insight to listen to guidance and pay attention to the signs. But also trust your experience and use your best judgment.
Building an online business can sometimes feel a lot like driving with no GPS. You know where you want to go, but you’re not always sure which turn to take next. Sometimes you move forward confidently. Sometimes you miss an exit. Sometimes you discover you’ve been driving in circles for a while and wondering why you’re not making progress.
The good news is that you don’t have to figure it all out alone. That’s one of the reasons I joined the Internet Profits Academy. It provides training, coaching, tools, and a community of people all working toward the same goal of building a successful online business. If you’re looking for guidance, support, and a proven path to help you reach your destination faster, I’d encourage you to take a look. After all, there’s nothing wrong with asking for directions.
Have you ever ignored your GPS only to discover it was right all along? Or maybe you’ve taken a few unexpected detours in life or business that ended up teaching you something valuable. I’d love to hear your story. Leave a comment below and let me know.
And when you make a wrong turn, do not panic, just recalculate. Because success is not about taking a perfect route, it is about continuing toward the destination.
Of course, after all these years, my wife still rides with me, especially when we involve Winnie. Mostly because my wife loves spending time with me. At least that is what I tell myself. Although based on the look she gives me every time I ignore another perfectly good direction, I suspect she is really there to make sure Winnie has backup.
“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” — George S. Patton
“A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn.” — Helen Keller
And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:
My wife asked why I never ask for directions. I told her I do. I ask myself all the time. Unfortunately, I keep giving myself bad advice.
I don’t get lost. I simply take extended educational tours of places I never intended to visit.
Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!
**If you are curious about building and maintaining a healthy online business, I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter here and continue following my blog. My hope is not only to create the freedom I have long desired, but also to share what I am learning with others who are working toward the same dream.