The Joy of Staying in Your Lane

A couple weeks ago I wasn’t experiencing much joy in my job. I was on the creative struggle bus trying to come up with a name for (spoiler alert) a new product I’m working on. Every great name I came up with had been thought of (and trademarked) by someone else first. The nerve! Connecting the dots, I also recognized that every “already in use” name represented a company already doing what my shiny new product will do when I roll it out. My response to entering an already crowded little space was, “Oh well.” Here’s why.

Hardly anyone goes into business thinking they will have zero competition. Heck, a little friendly nipping at the heels can keep us honest and make us better at what we do, right? The trick is to be very clear about who your audience is and why they need what you offer. This is your lane. When you define it, everything else falls into place and the work feels a lot less like work. There is joy in staying in your lane because it will:

Save you time. Your lane establishes who you are and who you serve, which clarifies your strategy and your messaging. You now have a roadmap with the most efficient route to success, so you won’t waste time being distracted by pursuits that don’t line up with your purpose. Staying on the straight and narrow means saying no to detours that use up your resources and don’t serve your business. That means you have the time to focus on what really matters.

Strengthen your message. There’s no need to scramble for what to say when your message is clear; you just effortlessly use it on repeat. The more you repeat it, the more memorable it becomes to your audience. The key here is your audience. You can’t be all things to all people and your message isn’t for everyone. Stay in your lane and confidently push out consistent messaging. It will attract your ideal customers.

Preserve your sanity. You could drive yourself crazy wondering what the other guys are up to. But when you stay in your lane you don’t need to. Is Mercedes sad they don’t have a share of the economy car market? Doubtful. Does Bubly worry about the off-brand fizzy waters of the world? Unlikely. I’m not suggesting you ignore your competition altogether, but there’s a difference between being mindful of what they’re doing and letting what they’re doing influence what you do.

Are you in business because you enjoy constantly reinventing the wheel?
Do you like spreading yourself too thin trying to do too much?
Is it fun losing your focus as you chase every opportunity that comes your way?

I would imagine you’re saying “No” to all of that. Find your lane and find joy in creating a strong niche that grows your business, deepens connections with your customers, and fuels your purpose.