We Have No Maps Here

Maps are overrated.

First off, let me state for the record that I am extremely — often ridiculously — geographically challenged. I lose track of where I’ve parked my car about once a week, and I usually have no idea which way is north. Back in the days when MapQuest was a thing, I would print out two complete sets of turn-by-turn directions: how to get to where I was going, and how to get back.

Once, driving home from college with a friend, I somehow missed my exit and continued driving for an hour in the wrong direction before I realized where I was — and this was on a trip home…to my own house. The house I’d lived in since I was born.

It’s pretty bad.

So, yeah, I’m grateful for maps. They’re exceedingly helpful. But sometimes, a map can actually be the most dangerous thing to have in front of you.

The other day I was listening to a conversation with the wise and wonderful Seth Godin. Someone had asked a question that stemmed from being at a vocational crossroads, trying to figure out what’s next and how to get there. In answering the question, Seth said this:

“We have no maps here. Maps are sets of specific instructions. We sell compasses. And the purpose of a compass is to help you figure out what direction to go, not necessarily to tell you how to get there.”

He went on:

“I am at a crossroads at least…every week, probably? Wondering about what’s next. That’s what we do for a living — we figure out what’s next.”

Maps tell you how to get from point A to point B. They provide directions for navigating terrain that has already been explored, waters that have already been charted.

The problem with maps is that they lull us into believing that the way to get where we’re going is easy and straightforward: just connect the dots and follow the lines. Maybe you’ll choose this route or maybe you’ll choose that other one…but either way, you can get there. There’s a path. A path you can see.

The far more interesting terrain, though, is at the wild edges — and beyond. That territory hasn’t been mapped. It hasn’t been explored yet. No one has charted it, because no one has been there.

Being at a crossroads and figuring out what’s next is not just something that happens to us; it’s actually what we do for a living.

We navigate without maps, as explorers. As makers and thinkers and doers. As creators and designers and change agents.

This is what we do. Grab your compass, and leave the map. There’s no better job than this.

—

About the Author: Erin Rufledt helps companies develop their strategic messaging and brings it to life with visual design. She’s the founder of Luminary Lab, a communication design company that works with leaders and companies to align their vision, their brand and their marketing to win more business and clearly communicate about the work they do.

Originally published at the-reframe.com on October 9, 2017.