Lessons From the Road

You met Doris The RV in my August blog. Now she’s back with an update on her journey and of course an update on what I have learned along the way.

Doris, a new-to-us RV, was our response to traveling to see my elderly mother during these unusual times. We traveled (with a side of work) from Ontario to Alberta, visiting with family and friends along the way.

During the six weeks and over 9,200 kilometres, we enjoyed the beauty of our great nation and launched our new collaborative brand Costron + Co..  I also thought it would be a great time to launch another Kairos Journey Workshop Series. – This was my first lesson in not so perfect timing!

So, there we were starting the new adventure of being RV owners with all the learning that comes with it, launching a brand after many months of behind the scenes work with some awesome collaborators. And of course, in my determined optimism, I thought, “What could go wrong?”

Well, nothing went wrong, but lots went off the rails.

I encourage you to re-read my August blog, Meet Doris the Roadtripper, for the five lessons I learned at the start of this new RV lifestyle to compare them with my updated insights on the same five topics below.

1. Stay open minded: The need to be open minded remains constant – it may be what brought you to the new opportunity but that same open mindedness is what will let you revise and adjust as things go off the rails. Just remember to take a deep breath and have a good chuckle – life is meant to be full of surprises.

2. Research:  Regardless of how much research you do, you will never know everything or remember all you were taught. You will come across things that you did not even know you needed to learn. Rely on credible resources and surround yourself with experts. My co-founder would tell me about the power of great documentation and making sure you always have the information you need at your fingertips.

3. Preparation: You can be as prepared as possible and you will still be met with things that don’t unfold the way you anticipated. Although I was prepared for questionable internet and the additional business expense of needing mobile data, I did not think through the impact of no cell or internet service on my calendar. I also did not think about needing focused workdays (days with no driving) to ensure that I didn’t fall behind. Remember to schedule days in your week dedicated to creative work, administrative tasks, and client meetings. I also need to send a heap of gratitude to those clients who adjusted their schedules at the last-minute because of no internet service on my end.

4. Confidence: I drew deeply from my confidence reserves during this trip. I had to remain confident that I could learn what I needed to – leaning into the thought of ‘just in time learning’ not letting me down. As I became uncomfortable with the risk of internet, deadlines and the impact on client relationships, I had to remind myself of something that I tell my clients all the time: You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Just remember that you need to rejuvenate. I am grateful that the opportunity to be in nature and connect with family and friends helped to keep my confidence tank full.

5. Faith: As I fell behind in tasks, I tried to keep the faith that on the next no-drive-day the internet gods would be smiling on me and my creativity would allow me to accomplish what I needed to. I realized that nothing turns out as badly as the picture we have created in our minds, and reaffirmed that regardless of the circumstances, we can always find a way to keep moving forward.

In my first Doris blog, as an acknowledgement of road trips and music being synonymous, I adopted a mantra from the chorus of George Michael’s song Faith. Doris’s second blog offers an additional mantra in keeping with lessons learned. Doris survived her inaugural journey – and so did I!

Do you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die?
No, not I, I will survive
Long as I know how to love
I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And all my love to give and I'll survive.
I, I, I will survive.

I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor