The Path is the Objective…

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In CIXI, our start-up, we often describe our vision (improve our pilots lives, reduce our carbon footprint) as being our objective, our destination. On the other hand, our mission is the path we take to get to the objective (in this case, transform daily commuting in an opportunity to train a bit).

Such an approach has its risk. Walking successfully such a path requires a clear and strong objective, that can easily take precedence over the quality of the selected road. Should that happen, we might fall in the trap of saying things as “what matters at CIXI is first to get our pilot healthy and happy, and to save the planet — the way to do it does not matter that much”.

But is destination the real objective?

To me, the more I gain experience, the lesser the objective’s importance becomes. The objective ends up playing a simple role of initiating the movement. It then serves as a compass to lead action in the right direction. But once the challenge is over, what stay in my memories are the intense images of the road taken. Reaching the goal turns to be a convenient, simplistic and short way of remembering / sharing in a few words the challenges that were taken.

It is the same for trail running in mountains. After the race, I keep clear images of the beautiful alpine scenery, or of the lengthy training sessions before the race. The brief crossing of the finish line only leaves a diffuse memory of achievement, allowing me to tell “I’ve been on such famous race”. As of today, when I sign up to a new race, it is much more for the pleasure of the training sessions and the joy of discovering new paths. The final ranking has little importance compared to all the positive emotions around.

The dilution of the goal in favor of a quality path is just as true in my professional life. Everyday, the quality of the road takes precedence over the distant theoretical objective of the corporate mission. For me (as for many?), the pleasure of going to the office comes from the immediate quality of my relationships with others and the sense of usefulness of my daily work, rather than a final goal necessarily a little abstract.

At CIXI, in the office as when trail running, we move forward for the joy of being in motion, to deepen our self-awareness and for the positive state of mind that endurance effort provides. Thanks to our fastest vehicle, we want to allow as many people as possible to go to work on a quality path. Imagine your daily commute become a tonic waking moment in the morning, and moderate (or intense, choice) training in the evening, to evacuate the pressure of the day! 

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