My Walk on The Camino: Lessons in Business & Life

My family and I walked 180 miles from Porto, Portugal, to Santiago de Compostella, Spain, on the Camino de Santiago this summer. I’ve wanted to undertake the adventure for several years, and it didn’t disappoint. While walking the Camino, I reflected on life and business. I realized many similarities between running a successful business and walking the Camino.

It takes commitment and planning. Preparing to walk the Camino is a commitment. We walked 10 miles every Saturday for months to prepare for the journey. I read books, watched YouTube videos, and listened to podcasts about what to expect. I made lists and gathered the necessary items. We each carried a pack, and although we could sleep in a comfortable bed each night, we couldn’t take more than we could carry (less than you might imagine). I researched backpacks and purchased small items to ensure we weren’t carrying too much.

The walk took us 12 days.

Before we left, I planned each leg of the trip, booking places for us to stay each night and mapping out a route that I thought was doable. My kids are 14 & 11, and I wanted to involve them in the planning process. They needed to be brought into the trip so they could sustain the long walk with a positive attitude. Well, as positive as possible.

In business, it’s imperative that you’re committed to the journey and you have a solid plan. Researching your industry, creating business plans, setting goals, and getting the buy-in of stakeholders could be the difference between success and failure. We didn’t know what we would encounter on the trail, just as in business. It’s hard to say which obstacle you’ll encounter. I’ve found that I’m more well-equipped to face challenges when I couple commitment and preparedness.

Walking is a strange kind of fun, as is business. MOST PEOPLE THOUGHT I WAS NUTS when I told people I was walking for two weeks for my vacation. I could have chosen a more traditionally relaxing vacation sitting by a pool or in a lounge chair at the beach. However, accomplishment is the best kind of fun. Each day we had a destination. We knew we had to get to the town with our Airbnb, or we would have nowhere to sleep. Talk about good motivation. It was so much fun. We saw the towns and countryside from a different perspective than is typical in a car or train. We saw the street animals, flowers, cute houses, and many chapels. Our backs hurt from our packs, our feet were sore, and we often had a blister or two, but it was fun, and none of us would have traded it for two weeks by a pool. Business can be challenging, but it is also so much fun. Perhaps not your traditional fun, but entertaining. No two days are the same; you get to end your days knowing you’ve impacted the people around you. I’ve impacted my team, my clients, my vendors. When you give your business your all, you have lived, experienced, and hopefully enjoyed yourself.?

Someone once told me people don’t create businesses; teams create businesses. This advice has stuck with me. That one statement made me realize that if I wanted to create a successful business, I would need to rely on a team of people. One of the best parts about walking the Camino is the people you encounter. While on the trail, a standard greeting is Buen Camino, which means Good Way in English. Those you pass, both other walkers and residents, encourage you on your way. Though many walk the Camino solo, they are never alone because other walkers surround them, headed to the destination of Santiago. Relying on others to build your business or help you to your destination is much better than trying to go it alone. Ultimately, people are what matter most in this world.?

The success I’ve experienced in business is primarily due to my ability to take action. I’ve found there’s a difference between dreaming and doing. Most of life begins with a thought, a dream, or a desire, but unless you can take action, that thought remains just a thought. Each day we knew that to reach our destination, we had to take action and walk and carry our pack. That simple action would move us forward. When you take massive action in business, you can get massive results. However, some days taking massive action isn’t possible, so you must take just one step. Taking one step is still action. Of course, you must take the right action, but ultimately, results are action based.??

Start with the end in mind. When we started in Porto, Portugal, we knew we were headed for Santiago. Those we encountered along the way knew our destination. Our course was clear. We never questioned our destination because the destination was clear from the start. I’ve met many people in life that are starters. They are great and getting things started, but finishing isn’t their specialty. I’ve found this can be the case with many business owners. They don’t know where their finish line is, but without that finish line, they flail, unsure of where they are headed. I’ve had that experience, feeling like I didn’t need an endpoint to my business, and I found that wasn’t a good choice. I don’t love endings, who does, but a finish line, a destination, gives you something to aim at. And then, from that destination, new goals can be set.?

I intend to return to the Camino, walking 500 miles on my next trip. I intend to grow my business to maturity. While we do not know what lies ahead, applying these ideas in business and on the Camino may help add to your success and happiness; I know they have added to mine.?