Getting to "what's next"

There's always a "next thing' in life. Change is so persistent we sometimes just ignore it or allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by it. Change is also where we find a great need for outside help. It's wonderful to find a mentor we can trust who has been through the change we're facing many times before.

Many professionals fit into this mentor category. As business brokers, we mentor individuals whose "next thing" is to have their own business, or a different business, or perhaps a long sought retirement. In working with our clients, the real objective is to get them to their "next thing". It's not the purchase transaction.

The process of getting safely to the "next thing" is the same, regardless of what area of life is involved. We first need to determine objectively where we are. Objectively probably means a second, third, or even higher opinion. This shows us our "as is" state, which is sometimes hard to see without the outside help.

Now the problem is not an unknown change. It's having to navigate a Gap between the "as is" and our "what's next." A Plan, or Gap Analysis, should make intuitive sense to us, even if it involves new and novel activities.

This is being written on Easter Sunday. The Resurrection , a plan to navigate the Gap separating God and man, is now celebrated by over 2 billion Christians around the world. I have to believe that closing Gaps and moving forward to "what's next" is the inherent pattern of all creation.