By Ximena Céspedes*
Many say that entrepreneurship is an adventure. I run two companies and a foundation; I don’t know if it’s a lot or a little, but at least it’s a start. I also did the Camino de Santiago, hoping that the pilgrimage route would explain or clarify to me several of the things that I have had to experience in recent years.
Many people say that it changes lives, that it gives purpose, that one arrives different; and, beyond something that is merely personal, what I can say is that the path, in itself, is an adventure, and that adventure is very similar to undertaking.
1. It is a brave decision
Nobody really knows what it’s about until they have to live it. It is more faith than certainty, because you never know for sure what the journey, the weather, the hotels, the food or the pain will be like. Nor—and this applies to most mortals—if you can endure approximately 25 kilometers a day.
The pilgrim does not begin the Camino because he knows where he is going; He is driven by excitement, but also by doubts, fear and a backpack full of things he thinks he will need.
The entrepreneur is the same: he starts his project with more enthusiasm than an idea, with limited resources and with a vision that drives him to get started.
The challenge is to dare to start.
2. It requires effort and, above all, perseverance
A friend always tells me that I go through life without really knowing where I am going, and the Camino is something like that. There are very hard days, when everything hurts, fatigue overcomes you and you get blisters. But there are also wonderful moments: you see stunning landscapes, magical forests, fairy-tale churches and angels along the way.
Business life is the same. You have to face challenges in sales, finance or operations; You lose and gain clients along the way, you organize and reorganize many times, and you realize that when motivation runs out, discipline and habit save you.
Success is not a leap, it is the sum of small steps.
3. Travel companions
Whether you have gone alone or with someone, along the way you meet wonderful people: from those who greet you and just tell you “good way”, to those who tell you their stories, sit with you for a coffee, encourage you or celebrate something and invite you to join. In reality, on the road you are never alone.
The same thing happens in the company: teams, partners, collaborators and mentors make the load lighter and the journey more enriching. And you realize that, in many cases, one of them becomes your angel.
If you want to arrive quickly, arrive alone; But if you want to go far, come accompanied.
4. Signs and adaptation
Although the path is full of markings with yellow arrows, data that indicate the kilometers and indicated intersections, we deviated a few times, we got lost many times and we had to become semi-experts in using the canes, taking out the jackets or even putting on the gloves.
The same thing happens to the entrepreneur: he must be able to see the path, follow the signs, review the indicators and establish a route, but also adapt to changes in climate, environment, elevation, technology and even unforeseen events.
Knowing how to adapt is the key to continuing to move forward.
5. The deep meaning
As the guide told me on the first day: “look up.”
I was very worried about the path itself, about not falling, not getting lost and following the arrows, and I was missing the most important thing: that wonderful environment, full of colors, aromas and sounds. The most important thing was not what was under my feet, but what was around me.
The path of the entrepreneur is the same. Beyond the numbers, the purpose and cause you build around the company, as well as the impact you generate, is what is truly worth it.
The journey matters more than the goal.
6. The arrival
Throughout the way you realize that the uphills are difficult, but the downhills are even more difficult, because you have to go up again; and that, when you arrive at Santiago de Compostela, the goal was not to get there, but the path itself.
The entrepreneur’s path is the same: it never ends. You go up and down at different levels, and although there are several “Santiagos de Compostela”, the important thing is not the cathedral, but the journey, the next challenge.
The path never ends, it only transforms.
Undertaking and pilgrimage have in common the courage to advance with faith in a vision, the ability to overcome difficulties and the humility to recognize that the journey is worth more than the arrival.
The businessman, like the pilgrim, discovers that what really matters is not just getting there, but how you walk. #OpiniónCoparmex
As Serrat says: “Walker, there is no path; the path is made by walking.”
Good way.
About the author:
*Ximena Céspedes is National Vice President of Democratic Development and Lobbying of COPARMEX Nacional.
The opinions expressed are solely the responsibility of their authors and are completely independent of the position and editorial line of Forbes Mexico.
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