No Blueprints

“There’s no blueprints where I come from”-Big K.R.I.T.

Blueprints start out as a design of what you want to be and the tools, assets, resources, etc. it will/may take to get you to the end or achieve your final product.  Everyone knows that but not many remember that changes are often made during the process to ensure positive and productive progress is being made.

We as humans often prefer to take the proven path of someone else’s success as a short cut for our own.  The fact that is neglected is that, there’s no such thing as someone’s blueprint to success working for you.  You may pick up some things here and there that makes you feel as if that plan is working for you but trust me, it’s all an illusion.

On many different occasions, I have tried to fit in with the crowd of successful people.  I have gone to different social events whose company consisted of the same personnel, just to make sure I was remembered.  I have joined organizations to make “profitable” connections to help push my agenda and the agenda of common/simple people.  Profitable, as in, reciprocation of support and simple as in, give me a chance and I will produce positive results.  I am not what you would call a social butterfly.  I do not fit in with “elbow rubbers” nor do I believe in associating with a group that has numbers but no positive push.  With all of that being said, I took some useful things away from those situations but I look back at them as shameful moments.  They are shameful to me because I felt the need to change who I am just to get no where.

All of that has changed now, now that I understand not thinking of yourself puts you at a disadvantage personally.  I have been hearing this saying a lot lately and reading about it in a few of my college courses.  The saying is, “when you decide to part ways with your current organization, nothing will stop.  It will keep moving forward without you.”  I never paid attention, until about 5 years ago, to how true this saying is.  I’ve seen more leave than come. The majority of those who left did so out of frustration.  The names of those that left may still be mentioned but their empty spots are filled within two weeks.  So I ask the question, how long are you going to stunt your growth process following someone else’s blueprint?

“Nobody’s built like you, you designed yourself” -Jay Z 

Whenever my annual appraisal closes out, I begin to plan how and what I want to accomplish for the next 365 days.  I used to plan 100% of my year to my organization and how I can help make it better to make myself look better.  Over time, this percentage only benefited one side.  That side was the organization.  As time went on, I slowly turned that 100% to 50%, in some cases 40%.  This may sound bad but it is not.  By giving myself 60% of my efforts and 40% to the organization, the organization has kept benefiting from my efforts without me overexerting myself without any positive return.

I have never needed the validation of another person to know that I am doing a good job or performing well.  What I needed was support, or a “machine” if you will.  Over the past 4 years, I have learned that the support of a machine is not necessary, if it comes with a price.   I have been made many offers to team up or join this person or that group but have chosen not to do so, unless I saw it being beneficial for me.  Do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with teaming up with a person or group, if you can stay focused.  What tends to happen when an “army of one” turns into an army of two, someone’s vision usually has to take a back seat.  No one likes a back seat driver, so why willingly place your goals in the back seat?

My vision and goals have become a journey and it’s a journey I am happy to walk every day.  Knowing that I can basically do anything I set my mind to, without the support of successful people, lets me know that I am on the right path.  It lets me know that my blueprint will lead me to a successful career, both in my current organization and when the day comes to part ways to begin the my next journey.

A step in the wrong direction can still be forward progress, if you choose to learn from the failure.

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