Santiago Bilinkis l Risk and Reward - Trying to live a life out of the comfort zone

A while ago, while talking with a friend, she asked me for a tip saying that she did not know what to do with her life. She was running in circles for months, without deciding what to do. My answer was simple: “No matter what you choose. Flip a coin and let chance decide”.

In my opinion it is so important to have goals to structure our lives and our actions that any goal is very preferable to not having any. No matter what it is.

Many may find what I say obvious, but in my experience in talking with different people there are many who overlook the importance of having a set North and spend most of the time selecting the best destination instead of moving decisively towards somewhere.

This is my “valuable secret”, both for Entrepreneurship and for other areas of life: Many people believe that getting what you want depends on picking the right goals. I go one step further: I believe that what we choose is way less important than actually choosing something that is clear and challenging to guide our daily actions. So instead of spending days or months weighing options, it is better to decide quickly on a direction. That gives meaning to our time and our actions.

Using a “geographic” metaphor, if we want to go from Rome to Madrid, we know that any bus going south or east takes us away from our destination. Knowing what not bus not to take is no small thing. Knowing which ones, even if they do not lead directly to our destination, bring us closer is key, too.

One last important point. Once we have chosen a goal (”to go to Madrid”), there is no point in revising it constantly. Even if can be improved, it is preferable to “go straight” along the same route for a while than the constant temptation to turn in every corner or get off at each stop.

So, for those who want to take my advice, here it goes: If you’re walking without a clear direction, define one. If you do not know what, take any. The worst course is much better than not having one.

Photo: Kateyay