A landmark, as a simple definition, is anything that points us towards our destination. A landmark could be a building, a street sign, a statue, or an event that marked a turning point in our lives. As I was reading through the Book of Proverbs this month, during a 30 Day Challenge by Megan Elizabeth (www.lifeaboverubies.com), one of the verses that really stood out to me was Proverbs 22:28 –

Do not remove the ancient landmarks that your fathers have set.

     That got me to thinking about landmarks. Landmarks help me get to my destination. Without landmarks, I would be hopelessly and totally lost. Luckily, for me, living in Colorado Springs, the mountains are always to the west and the prairie lands of Kansas are to the east. Meaning, if I’m going North, the mountains are to my left. If I’m going west, they are right in front of me. Put me in a different city though? Don’t give me cardinal directions, give me landmarks. Look for the Starbucks on the corner and the Target across the street, then turn left. Thank you! I can find that!

      Landmarks are also events that happen in our lives, which at some point turned us in the right direction. We might not always think those landmarks should have been there, but they were there for a reason. Some of my eventful landmarks have been: getting married, having my three kids, buying/selling our first house, and graduating college. Each landmark that I have reached has led to another landmark, and another landmark, and another landmark, each one leading me to where I currently am.

     I have been learning a lot these past couple of months about business development and I realized that to grow a business you must follow the landmarks. There are landmarks in growing a business. It’s not going to happen overnight. Building a business requires setting goals, developing a plan, prospecting for clients, building rapport with people, branding yourself, becoming your own best advertisement, etc. It’s a step by step process and sometimes the going seems soooooo slow –

     But, what if I have missed a landmark or removed a landmark, because I thought I could get there faster? Or because I thought my way was better?  Oft times we do just that. That’s okay though. We just backtrack to the last known landmark and go from there. Eventually, we will be right where we are supposed to be. We are never lost when we follow our landmarks.

      Solomon, who wrote the Proverbs, was wise. “Do not remove the ancient landmarks that your fathers have set.” In today’s world, we see too many landmarks that are being removed. Too many shortcuts to reach our destination and businesses are failing, marriages are dissolving, people are giving up before they arrive. We need to go back to the landmarks that have been established – in all areas of our lives. Then we will find the balance and purpose in life that we have long sought after.

Balance + Purpose = Liberty

What are the landmarks in your life? What are some of the landmarks you might have removed?