Mazes get a bad rap.
The typical talk is of getting lost in one. Getting stressed at your inability to get out. Wasting lots of time trying to get out.
But a maze isn’t all bad. Because at its exit there can be something that’s worth more than all the effort.
What do you do when faced with a business maze?
Paralysis by analysis is bad. The worst option of all is to stand there and do nothing. If you do that then you stagnate with zero chance of success.
A better option is to ignore the maze and move on to something else.
Another option is to work the maze (for a limited period of time). Enter the maze. Be determined but also carefully track the turns you take so that, if necessary, you can retreat. Go down passageways to see if they’re dead-ends or not.
Can you think of other approaches to take when faced with a maze?
Imagine an actual physical maze – with you at its entrance. And then you just float up into the air – moving up & forward – till eventually you’re high enough to be able to see the entire maze – and able to see the best route through it.
Wouldn’t that make life easier?
How might you achieve that same perspective when facing not a physical maze but a business one. You know you can’t just stand at the entrance. You know you could move on – but then you’d miss the potential gain. You know you could dabble in it – hoping to navigate your way through it within the limited amount of time you give to the effort – but you know that you might still achieve nothing.
There is another way. Talk to trusted peers to see if they’ve ever faced the same or similar type of maze and see how they’ve navigated it.
You can do this in what’s called a mastermind group. Think of it as a peer-network where, among other benefits, you can get help from other business-owners about the mazes you’re confronted with – the challenges and obstacles you face.
Interested? Read more about mine here.