Journey Mapping Your Life
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
One of the most confronting things I have done is to ask myself: Who am I? Where am I going? And Why?
Especially who I am as a question is wrecking my mind and soul, there are so many images of the past coming back to comfort me and also haunt me.
It is not a negative, if anything I am finding it rather ‘cathartic’ and by learning who is looking through these eyes, I am also learning how the world really works.
I must admit, I am feeling kinda ‘stuck’ in my career at present BUT, slowly I am solving the puzzle and I want to share with you all what I have discovered so far.
I feel I was put on this earth to design, solve problems and help others who are lost or need a bit of perspective, I know I am a designer through and through, and I have come to this conclusion due to my soul searching.
Direction is something that is lacking at times so this small wisdom nugget will hopefully give you some clarity and perspective.
To help you discover where you are going next (I am too) here are some of the most important parts of the journey I have discovered to keep it short and simple.
1- The Beginning
Some people go as far as their early childhood, pens, crayons, etc. but that is not as important, what is important is to identify that specific moment you decided or felt ‘design’ was for you, it will help you find a starting point and your ‘why’.
2- What you love
Focusing on the positive aspects of the design journey will help you stay motivated to find what is good and enjoyable about it, design can be beautiful, satisfying but also brutal, and full of heartbreak so we need to stay strong so we can go the distance.
3- The hardest moments
By identifying what challenged us, we are likely to discover also how we overcame such obstacles, it could be a difficult meeting with a difficult client or something that took you out of your comfort zone, it forced you to dig deep and grow as a result.
4- What did I learn?
After the hardest moments, ask yourself what the lesson was and how you would do it differently, you can have a mental dialogue with another version of you, it might sound creepy but this is powerful, visualization is King.
5- What skills do you need to achieve it?
Design is beautiful but it keeps changing and with it, our skillsets need to keep up, so you need to be honest and start thinking about what you need to do in order to grow and evolve.
6- Put your knowledge into practice
Knowledge without action is never good, and this is where I am having the most trouble, not only as a ‘procrastinator’ but with ‘impostor syndrome’ and when it kicks in it is never fun, and this is in spite of having well over 22 years of experience in many design niches - I still feel I am not good enough, and I have to remind myself that whether I believe I can or can’t I am both right as Henry Ford once said.
7- Draw a journey map
Like we do in design, maybe drawing an actual ‘Journey Map’ of our careers will help, why? Because you can see firsthand how far you’ve come, the challenges you had to overcome, and how much you have learned and grown as a result. Include everything that is important to you and what will support your next step in your design journey.
8- Believe in yourself and your ability to manifest
Life has conditioned us to believe we need an ‘external’ savior, an extrinsic form of validation from ‘authorities’, and approval from our parents in order to succeed. We seek approval to live our own lives and fulfill our own destiny, but if we are fulfilling our OWN destiny, what has the government, the church, society, etc. have to do with us? Nothing! Your life, your rules!
9- Have a clear end goal in mind
Be specific as to what you want to achieve, but do not become too focused on ‘how’ that happens, let G-d, the Universe, and life do its thing, but keep grinding, keep sending your CVs, keep talking to people, and be a good human.
10- Repeat
Don’t be too concerned if you have to change a thing or two on your journey map, your plan, etc. We all have to be flexible and open-minded, life can be a miracle only if we let it unfold naturally...
Go out there and make it happen!!!
