But he noted that the drive can be pretty treacherous. He warned of falling rocks, blind turns and oncoming traffic. The reality is that while the views can be breathtaking, you need a great deal of concentration to navigate the cliffs of the Pacific Highway. You also need a level of trust that other drivers will stay in their lanes.
The metaphor works for our lives in general. We must trust others and be a bit vulnerable as we move along; positively embracing life and observing all of its beauty, while artfully navigating our way through each challenge and obstacle. If we do, over time, we become wiser and can anticipate those tight turns and be more comfortable with the falling rocks in our lives.
In business, much like our personal lives, we tend to get bogged down with obstacles. We focus on internal politics, mundane tasks and all of the little things that don’t allow us to properly engage or observe. Days fly by with a barrage of emails, meetings and conference calls.
The best organizations are devoted to managing those items so that they can properly observe and understand the marketplace. They realize that the business is nothing without being able to sincerely and intimately engage with customers. And they know that to navigate the ever-changing business landscape, they need to pay attention to the challenges in their customer’s world more than their own.
Publishing is a great form of navigation. Asking questions and then putting things into context so others can understand allows you to connect with the market. It enables you to find similarities and understand the world better. In essence, the publishing process allows you to be vulnerable and observe while building wisdom.
One of my favorite books is “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David J. Schwartz. It captivates the idea of belief and discusses the items that can hold us back in our lives. In Chapter 2, Schwartz talks about the myth of the intelligence excuse as in, “I am not smart enough.” What Schwartz says is that it is not intelligence that matters, but our attitude.
If you want to learn more about how to build your community through custom publishing, please feel free to reach out to me at mark@conduit-inc.com.
In the meantime, enjoy the view.
