Keeping it Real: Journey Mapping

Last week I posted this photo on my personal Instagram account. It reads "Journey Mapping."

I had two friends comment that they wanted to know more about what "Journey Mapping" is and wondered if I was going to write a blog post about it, so I thought I would. Ironically that's not my journal, but a work notebook, and the "Journey Mapping" was a work exercise, not a personal one.

A customer journey map is a very simple idea: a diagram that illustrates the steps your customer(s) go through in engaging with your company, whether it be a product, an online experience, retail experience, or a service, or any combination. Simplistically, you map how they act, what they feel, think and say at each point along their journey.

So it got me thinking, if I am the customer in my own life, what do I want my journey to look like?

I've been working a lot lately, which is why we have gone from posting on C&C nearly everyday to rarely. Between my work, philanthropic, and family commitments there just aren't enough hours in the day. As the customer in my own life, I am not getting the experience I want and deserve. I feel overwhelmed, tired and sometimes inadequate. I'm sure many of you know these feelings.

So what's my point in writing this? My point is this.

You have control over your own journey map. It's up to you how you choose to engage in each and every aspect of your life; personally, professionally, emotionally and physically. When I started thinking about this last week I realized that I need to take control of my journey in order to change the experience and the way I am feeling. One of the steps in that process included saying "no" to a commitment I made. It was hard to do, but it was the right thing for me.

I truly believe that the best way to achieve the journey you want is to map it out, put it to paper. So since writing this post, I have made my own Journey Map.

Here are some of the touch points on my map: Family, Sport, Nature, Adventure, Friends, Travel, Professional fulfillment, Philanthropy.

And here are some of the feelings that I hope to experience: joy, wonder, curiosity, satisfaction, calm, thrill, love, impact...among many others.

This is a very high level overview of my "Journey Map". It can be broken down into a daily journey, weekly or even yearly. For me the exercise is about identifying your desired experiences and feelings and planning how to make those things happen. Part of that process might include eliminating experiences and feelings from your Journey, as it did for me just last week.

Wherever your journey takes you, I hope you achieve the experiences and feelings you desire because life is too short not to be lived to the fullest.

Happy Journey Mapping!