4 Entrepreneurship Lessons the Great Outdoors Can Teach Us
If you've read any of my articles, you know I find business inspiration in the oddest places: the dentist's office; a Brazilian churrascaria; heck, even learning Italian has given me some lessons about running a business. So it should be no surprise that on a recent hike in Mission Trails, San Diego's urban outdoors setting, inspiration struck once again. Even if you don't get outside much, you can take these lessons to heart.
1. It's Not a Zoo—There Are Wild Animals
I've never been attacked by a mountain lion, though I've hiked where I know they live. One time, there was a rather large rattlesnake in the middle of the trail. It shocked me, since I'd never seen one in seven years of living in San Diego. She slithered off without incident, but it made me realize: nature is for real. We may rarely encounter danger, but it exists. It's good to be cognizant of that fact.
In the business world, 99% of the time you're dealing with nice people who play by the rules. But occasionally you'll meet a scumbag who refuses to pay or otherwise wants to make trouble for you. Don't proceed as if the world's out to get you, but do be aware of the possibility of getting bitten.
2. Everyone's Path Is Different
On Mission Trails on any given day of the week, you'll see serious hikers as well as moms with their toddlers out for a light stroll. You'll see trail runners and mountain bikers, too (though you won't find me in that category—I'm too clumsy!). Just like with entrepreneurship, no two people have the same path nor approach.
So if you've been comparing yourself to other business owners, stop. Their success is not your success. Maybe you will never break $100,000 in revenue, but you're happy with your flexibility and work schedule. Maybe you will never hire an employee and you'll do it all yourself. Only you know what your path to success is.
3. Trust Your Instincts
On my recent hike, the streams were unusually full of water. You see, San Diego has been in a drought for the past several years, and this winter we've had record rainfall. So the normally dry environment of Mission Trails was completely transformed. That meant hikers had to hop from rock to rock to cross the creeks that sometimes flooded the trail.
At first, it was fun. I felt like a kid again. Then, standing on a rock in the middle of a pretty fast-flowing creek, I looked at the rock in front of me and thought, "You're going to slip off of that one."
I listened to my gut at first. I tested the rock out. Not wobbly. I found a spot where my foot would easily fit. My logical brain could find no reason why I would slip on that rock so ... I put my foot on it.
Guess what happened?
I slipped. I ended up waist-deep in chilly water. Had I trusted my instincts, I wouldn't have squelched down the trail, water permeating my wool hiking socks.
How many times in business have you felt sure of something and ignored your intuition? Maybe your gut told you that a new client would be a time suck, or that taking on a particular project would cost you more money than it would make. Next time, believe it. Trust your gut.
4. Facing Your Fears Has Surprising Results
As I hopped from rock to rock (pre-dunk), I began to get nervous about falling in. What could be worse than getting wet on a hike? I amped up that fear to the point of irrationality.
Then it happened. I fell in. Fear realized. But you know what? It wasn't terrible. The world didn't end. I scraped up my leg pretty badly, but even that was okay. I realized that my fear had been silly. Sometimes we have to experience our worst fears to understand how insignificant the actual facts are.
What do you fear in business? Taking a leap to grow your business? Investing in marketing? Expanding your product line? What's holding you back, and what's the worst thing that could happen? If it's failure, understand that that's not the end of the world. Once you face your fears, you realize you have the power to do more when you can move past them.
If you're like me, you find inspiration and lessons all around you. Being an entrepreneur means that you are the type of person who will continually learn and improve yourself.
Photo credit: Susan Payton
