Following a recipe produces (most often) the desired result. Following a map precisely gets us to our destination. No surprises. That is known as the status quo.
But this world is rapidly changing and while perhaps 99% of the people follow the "recipe" they may not always be happy with the result. It might just be they wished they had tweaked it a bit. Put their own spin on it to create a different - more interesting result. Why not? (Well, what if it doesn't work?? - What if its a failure?)
Excellent things have come out of "failed results" 3M corporation for instance. Read up on the Post-it note and the "failed" result that ended up becoming an empire. Or, Ivory soap - the only soap that floats - there is another gem resulting from failure. We need to change our thoughts on failure. It is a means to point us in another direction...not quit.
But whenwe hit a wall we begin to question why we ever tried to begin with.
We are then at a crossroads....are not finding the answers by using the map OR the recipe....But taking the time, a walk or two even, to think it through, ideas and solutions begin to avail themselves...They may not be successful but the learning for the next step there. It is the persistance to continue to find the less traveled road. The unopened door. Look for and find access and answers that respond to what you are seeking ...just not in the way you had thought you could get it.
Many very successful people and businesses have found their door by knocking on all the wrong ones. They had to rewrite their map, create the journey that would respond to them and then with persistence and small successes - they got there.
As entrepreneurs, designers and executives - we all are having to "reinvent the wheel" daily. Finding the door that will get us to that next step, the next level, progressing in a project, etc. Then, those successes are added to our wins and make us better equipped to handle the next level.
It is in this creativity that sparks ingenuity and develops confidence. Not only in yourself but others knowing you have a way to get through....It just takes effort and thought. Perserverance and patience. And yes, some days you just want to give up. Take another walk, hike, lunch out or go get a massage.
Observe yourself. Are you knocking on the same doors and finding little success - actually rejection? Is there a "way that it always has been done" and it's not working? At least not for you?? Yours is a different door.
That is when you must step back. The book The Third Door by Alex Banayan is all about how people found success through sheer persistence, belief in their passion and by seeking out the Third Door.
The author describes how most will follow the directions and knock at closed doors endlessly hoping one opens, some are born into favor and get doors opened for them and then.....There are the creative ones that re-engineer their approach. This is after trying step one and two to no avail. It takes trial and error and thought.
Take a moment to think about how "It's always been done this way.." and how that just doesn't hold water in today's world. Take it further. Walk a bit further. Ask more questions. Search a bit more and...
Find your own door. (The key to this? Activity. Thinking about what you may do and not trying your options will not produce any results. Trying different approaches may fail. But as mentioned earlier - those are indicators for you to take in and redevelop your approach not for you to give up)
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