Sign Posts and Intuition

We look for signs to guide us. There's rules of the road, after all. Sometimes, however, we simply blink… and go. The roads we frequent are governed by rules for safety, for masses to transit, to ensure relatively well-ordered travel. Headlong, headstrong flight is mostly considered perilous: don't know what's ahead, (regardless of what you feel). That way lies danger. Read the signs, obey the rules. Stay on the road. Get there on time (OK, so you bend a few rules, like the speed limit) and in one piece (albeit a bit stale from the long stretch of highway). Stay safe. Forget the damn journey, just arrive someplace.

The signs we see have become nearly invisible to us. Not because we disregard them. To the contrary, we've become accustomed to the directives; we're used to the ostensible sanctity of their guiding presence. Lulled into acquiescence. But sometimes, they're clustered and confusing, causing us to slow down or even stop and consider which way (forward? back? left? right?) is the most prudent.

We may not be pausing solely for prudence, though...

... It's at such times that intuition cuts through the cacophony and clutter with a clarity that makes us feel the blink, and we hear it: 'Leave the road.' We're given pause because we've a gut-level, elemental urge: leave the road altogether. Cleave cross country. The road'll still be there. There's entire infrastructures set up to make sure that road's not going anywhere, er, so to speak... But you're gonna carve a path. You're not unmindful of the rutted unruliness of the way ahead. As a matter of fact, such unchartedness is an integral aspect of discovery; it's organic, and it's essential in the new geography of your success.

Somewhere out there in the wide unknown you may find yourself absolutely worn out in the tall grasses. You're in the weeds. You look back over your shoulder and can't even see that bright ribbon of road from which you so rashly turned aside. But you do see the path you've made to get where you are right now, and it's beautiful, and you know that your weariness is alright. You believe the way you're forging is special. And you're right. You rest, and you reflect. And your resolve is re-kindled.

You may not know it, but your great effort is to our great benefit. What you learn, you selflessly share, and we're the richer and the wiser for it. So thank you for not posting signs, but for being the totem. For embodying intuition. For showing us that having the courage to strike out across the fields is not folly, it's fruitful abundance. Thanks for not having all the answers, and exemplifying the craziness and clarity of new solutions. You're the "entré" in entrepreneur because you enter where others only pass by in fear, and you lead the way. For your inspiration and your instigation: Thank you so very much.

Follow Up:  There are a couple of special folks in my life who're living catalysts of good stuff.  Here are a couple of works by authors who've greatly influenced them and inspired them to do positive, impactful things in their work and with other aspects of their lives.  Required reading, one might say.  You should check them out:

Change the monolgue? Seriously, change the entire script. This is required reading.
Chip Conley's awesome newness	Seth Godin's latest seminal work
We've actually met Chip and seen him speak on this, and far from the mass hallucination-effect of the traditional tent-raising holy-rollers on the speaking circuit, his accessiblity and frankness were so genuine, you can even feel it in this little video clip of him.	We really hope to meet Seth in the very near future, as well. Wanna see why? Sure you do: See him in action over at TED (a whole slew of links to his talks, and there's a little clip below).Mind-blowing, dude. Seriously.

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