You are a Solution

“What is the problem you are solving?” – Selection Committee

You are a Solution

“He’s been working his brains out on this for the past four years.”  Brad Bertoch said on a selection committee conference call.

When his words hit my ears it was as if they began to be absorbed into my mind and heart almost instantly!  It opened a path for me to think about how to take a critical part of creating a successful business, solving a problem not conquered, and apply it to creating a better world on an individual basis. I invite you to walk this path with me as well.

I’ve noticed that people have an interesting approach to their walk through life.  Many people find a single-track-path and stick to it.  They rarely venture off their path and some seem to be walking on a narrow path in a canyon.  As they walk up their path, they look around and say to themselves, “I’m on this path and as long as I stay on this path everything will be alright.  After all, look at the problems surrounding me.  These cliffs are too high and too steep for me to conquer!  What can I do?  I’m only one person!”

What can only one person do?  Someone else blazed the path we’re walking, but most never seem to notice!  After all, very few of us have ever truly blazed a new path.  You might be able to think of a handful of such individuals.  But does it have to be that way?

No!  There are opportunities for new paths to forge all around us. We simply need to look from side to side and solutions will appear before our eyes.  And, we don’t need to conquer an entire mountain to make a huge difference.

Think of making a difference in this way.  While you’re walking forward you see a small stream running down the side of your path.   Your eyes look past this obstacle to a lush and desirable side canyon.  No one has ventured up this gorge because no one has bridged the stream.  Most have simply kept their head down and pushed forward on their open path.  But, you can see the benefits that beckon on the other side.

When you hear such a call you must heed it.  Stop moving in one direction and begin to make preparations to move in another by building a bridge. The thing about bridge building is that the foundation is all-important.  It takes a lot of work to create the right foundation and most of this important component lies hidden.  I’ve seen people begin and quit because they feel as if they aren’t making any real progress.  I remember going through this myself once, only to have a disappointed mentor say, “You were right at the point when things were going to takeoff for you!”  Don’t let a false feeling of little progress deter you!  Once your bridge is complete you are truly off your former path and on to a new one!

At this point you’ve earned a new personal label, Trail Blazer!  This means you’re no longer on a path created by someone else.  You’re the one making the path. It’s hard, but satisfying work.  You get to determine the way forward, the creation of vantage points and the end of the trail.  So, get comfortable with “making it up as you go along.”

As a child I didn’t know that adults made it up as they went along.  I thought they had all the answers.  Such a belief led me to walk my early adult years in disappointment.  Don’t fall into this same trap.  If Adults knew everything, then all of the world’s problems would already be solved!

All the world’s problems are not solved!  So, you and I have the opportunity to create at least one solution to one problem.  Just follow your path until you see a small opportunity, create a foundation to build a bridge, construct a sturdy bridge so you can begin a new path, blaze a trail that others can follow and make sure you enjoy beautiful vistas on your way to the end of the trail. You are a solution!