Have you ever been lost? Do you sometimes feel, in your business, that you don’t know where you’re going – or, perhaps, you’ve had to change tracks?

Whether in life, or in business, this is called taking a detour – and detours can be delightful. There are some simple ways to manage a detour – that will lead you to success and, in the long run, get you to a better place. Seriously!

Things to Consider For Delightful Detours.

1. Shift your thinking – be flexible. No plan is carved in stone.

   Business application: Have a plan for your business, but know that ‘stuff happens’ and be prepared for change to occur – you may have learned some new things you want to implement, you may shift directions when it comes to where/how you want to do business – it happens – go with it!

2. Anticipate – and, if necessary, brace yourself. (When I was married, and my ex-husband and I headed out on a road trip and came across a detour, I knew what to expect – and it wasn’t pretty. I could anticipate a stressful trip and planned my reactions carefully.) In life and in business, we can’t always anticipate detours – but, when we can – then manage your reaction – you have the power to do that.

   Business application: Get comfortable being uncomfortable – and remember that it’s about ‘progress, not perfection’. Being an entrepreneur can be stressful at times – I call it positive anxiety and, once I embraced that, I went along for the ride (in the driver’s seat, of course, LOL!).

3. Where possible, choose your travel mates carefully. When on a road trip earlier this week, my travel mate was a friend I knew well, was carefree and adventuresome, knew how to enjoy the journey…….and we made it a fun trip. So, while the trip took us almost 2 hours longer than planned, it was quite enjoyable because of her personality.

   Business application: When working with team members, joint venture partners, clients, etc. – in business, we are not alone on this journey. Choose wisely because you want to have fun along the way. Choose people who not only know how to have fun and want to make money, but who are also flexible, resilient, risk-taking adventurers!

4. Enjoy the journey. There will be detours – there will be changes to your ‘master plan’ – enjoy the changes that will happen along the way. It’s all about the way we think. The glass can be half empty or half full. There will be new experiences – new things to learn – new sites to see. My friend and I ended up at a new restaurant that had the BEST home-cooked food – we never would have found this place had we not experienced the detours.

   Business application: Stop and look around at some of the changes that may be happening as a result of your business ‘detour’, or change in plan. You may end up travelling a completely different path – perhaps doing more business on line than you originally anticipated – perhaps putting your new book on hold even though your dream was to have it published by Christmas – you may end up doing mo re public speaking than you ever expected and must learn new skills right now to support those opportunities. Enjoy the journey! Keep moving forward.

5. Master your time/energy management skills. On our road trip this week, we knew there would be detours. We planned our time accordingly so as not to be late for the theatre. You, too, often know/expect detours in life – however, many of you fail to plan your time accordingly and, therefore, you do end up stressed, frustrated, miserable – and making everyone around you miserable, too. Get a grip. Get organized. Stop farting around and expecting the world to get with your agenda. Had we been late to the theatre, we would have had to wait outside for the first intermission. No way! I don’t want to miss out on anything in my life – where/when possible. We arrived at our destination (stomachs full and happy because of the unexpected great lunch spot we found!) in plenty of time – feeling quite relaxed and in control.

   Business application: Many of you are still feeling overwhelm ed, and out of balance, when it comes to your business and your life. What is it going to take for you to figure it out? We all have the same amount of time in a day – if you need help in this area then get some help. There are resources out there to help you master this – and it is critical, as an entrepreneur, that you do master it. I am pleased to say that this is one of my top skills and I love to work with my clients in this regard. Your business journey will be much more pleasant and rewarding financially, once you get better at this.

“Year by year, the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities.” – Woman’s Home Companion, December 1933

CONCLUSION

Life, and business, is full of detours – there’s no avoiding them. As in life, it is the way we react to these detours that makes all the difference. You can have a financially successful and rewarding business once you learn to master some of the fundamental principles of handling the curve balls.

You’re in the driver’s seat – are you ready for the next detour?

How do you handle the ‘detours’ in your life and business? Please share your thoughts!