Direction

Hey team! All right, here we are, another beautiful day, a beautiful week. I’ve read some quotes in the past by this guy, Paulo Coelho, and he says, “Change, but start slowly, because direction is more important than speed.”

Having just recently spent 2,000 or 3,000 miles in the car driving through seven states on vacation with my boys and my wife. We went on some beautiful highways, we went by some beautiful rivers, and we drove on many, many roads that we had never been on before. We also went into some spaces where the GPS didn’t work so well. I got to be honest—I drove down a few roads and didn’t know where I was going. I had to turn around. Make some loop-de-loops, and take some different turns in different spaces to find my way because I was going in the wrong direction. I was going at a high rate of speed.

You can go a really long distance in the wrong direction, and you can go fast. In business, that’s what it reminds me of. I’ve taught on this in leadership and everything else. And every so often, it comes back to play and hits me right in the forehead. Good thing I got a hard one. It reminds me of Paulo Coelho’s quote. If you’re going to make a change, make sure you have the right direction. Make sure you’re doing it the right way, and then you can go. But make sure you’re going in the right direction, because going the wrong way just takes a lot more time. It really does.

We’ve made those mistakes at Northwest Enforcement in the past. I am so fortunate to have Karen running the show and doing such a great job. She is so diligent and so focused. To see our other leaders wrap up around her—we have so many. Those of you that are watching this video today. You really need to look at the leaders above you and just be grateful because you have people that really care and that are really focused. I’m not just talking about the executive directors, although they are amazing people, but even those underneath them. I mean the people that are making their lives even easier. I’m seeing people like Christina, Ryan, Bennett, Carrie, Jacob in Longview, and so many of you guys that we have on our team.

I look back, being as old as I am—almost 249 this year—and it was always a dream of mine to have really great men and women who are so dedicated and focused on direction so that we can get to the important work that we’re supposed to do. We have those people—dedicated men and women who truly love each other and the work that they perform. It just sometimes brings tears to my eyes to think about how far we’ve come.

It’s a lonely road sometimes when you start a venture. Until you fill up the bus with the right men and women in the right seats, it can easily feel like you’re just getting down the road and forget how much fun the trip can be because you’re so focused. I have to be honest. There were a few moments when my boys were goofing around in the back seat, and I just wanted peace and quiet. But there’s so much joy in the singing, the laughter, and the fun of life. We can just stop for a minute and recognize that as long as we’re going in the right direction, there’s a lot of fun to be had.

Change is good; just make sure you’re going in the right direction first. If that resonates with you and where you’re going, make sure you have things on point for you and your family. Make sure you have things on point for your relationships and friendships. If you have relationships with people that are holding you back or dragging you down, ice and dice. I’m not saying be rude or be mean, but you have to be careful who you hang around.

People will prevent you or steer you in the wrong direction. Never give the reins. If you’re riding a horse—or the steering wheel or the rudder, if you’re on a ship, to someone who will steer you in the wrong direction. Don’t let someone have control of the rudder if they don’t understand direction. Don’t put the wrong person on your ship. In the wrong seat, who has any control over moving you in the wrong direction. You want to be careful of that.

Well, another beautiful day, guys. God bless you. I’ll see you next week. Have a wonderful time. We’re going to be getting into fall; it’s going to get crisp, and Sonia’s going to love it. She gets excited about the fall. Me, not so much. But I’m going to be here on my deck, putting up some walls here real soon and have a nice outdoor area. Hopefully, I can sit in it during the winter while it’s raining and pouring outside and still have an enclosed area. I built an enclosure for my deck; it’s removable. In a video coming up in the next few weeks, months, or whatever, you will see that it’s going to be pretty cool.

All right, God bless you guys. Remember, hey, let’s be valuable because nothing less will do.