“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Many people quote Robert Frost‘s poem of the “Road Not Taken” where two roads diverge, and you take the one less traveled. Taking the road less traveled somehow brings you an independence from what others have done, but in truth, the traveler arrived at the same destination as he would have had he taken the easier path. Now I most certainly am not saying that we should always take the easier path, given the chance.
However, as entrepreneurs we need to be smart about the path we take. As Emerson said, don’t go where the path may lead. Don’t take the same pathway that other entrepreneurs have taken, that’s just reinventing the wheel, and why suffer an ordeal if you don’t have to?
These two statements may seem contradictory at first glance but upon further inspection they not. Frost reminds us that no matter which path we take, whether that is starting your own company or working at an established one, there is a high likelihood we will arrive at the same destination, and if the arduous journey is the one you need to take, do so.
But whichever path you take, make it your own path. Don’t blindly follow a path simply because it is there, find your own adventure. Follow along the best path for you, and if it curves in the wrong direction, find a different path.
Why Trust Us?
Angela Ruth has been a writer at Due for about 10 years. She was at one point the senior editor at Due and a marketing manager. Angela is now a content marketing consultant and has been in the writing space for a large part of her career. She has written over a thousand articles on finances, marketing, go to market strategy, and other topics as well. Angela has forged her own path in her career and her personal life. Her perspectives on how to forage your own path are invaluable.
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