If you’ve been following me, you know that I like spending time out west with family members. 

My days there start with a morning walk around the neighborhood along unpaved roads, wandering past houses spread out over acres, watching jackrabbits speed off when startled, gazing at the mountains in the background and enjoying gorgeous sunrises. 

It’s an invigorating way to start a day that gives me time to think or, on some days, NOT to think!

The first time visiting a few years ago, I asked my nephew to help me chart a 4-mile route that wouldn’t leave me too far away from home base. 

He drove us around one of his walking routes and pointed out landmarks to help me find my way solo. 

Walk in the middle…

As a bit of a throwaway line, he told me to walk in the middle of the road. 

That seemed odd so I asked why. “The snakes hang out on the edges.” Oh. 😨

This is how the directions started  –

Where this road comes to a T, go left.

At the gate, go right.

Then it got a little odder:

When you see the resting Don Quixote statue you are almost at the 2-mile mark.

Take the first right after you see the (wildly barking) 3-legged dog.

CLIMB through the gate.

Go past the barrel riding course in a neighbor’s front yard and then take a right.

Cross the paved road and circle around the Animal Shelter.

When you see a very steep hill you think you will not be able to climb, just do it – it’s not as bad as it looks.

As I have walked that basic route many times now and tick off those landmarks mentally, I often think of milestones/landmarks in a business. 

Milestones and Landmarks for life and business

We all need them. 

We all have to make them personal and sometimes very creative. 

Maybe it’s your first 10, 50, 100, 1000 followers on Instagram. 

It could be surviving your first cook day in someone’s home. 

It could be your first repeat party client. 

Perhaps it’s recouping the investment you made to start the business and begin to pay yourself/turn a little profit. 

Or maybe hiring your first team member or part-time assistant or VA or accountant. 

It could be landing that one perfect (possibly high-profile) client you’ve been hoping to cook for who can unlock the door to others just like them.

Goals are motivators…milestones mark your efforts

These smaller goals are motivators as well as milestones and can set a steady pace for your business to grow and reach larger goals. 

Along my walking route, I have stumbled and slipped more than once as the road is uneven and the sand depth varies from grains to inches. 

Getting back up, wiping the grit from my knees, I continue along the path attempting to stay in the middle of the road – watching for snakes (they come in many forms) and enjoying the journey!