When You’re Headed in the Wrong Direction (and Don’t Even Know It): A Post-Summit Reflection
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Years ago, when I was in college in eastern North Carolina, Hurricane Fran barreled toward us with a forecast so catastrophic they warned we could lose water and power for a month. I decided to drive home to Raleigh... inland, supposedly away from the storm’s path. The problem was, my parents were making me share my car with my younger sister and she had it that day and wouldn't bring it back.
By the time I finally got my car back from my sister and started driving, the hurricane had changed direction and was heading exactly where I was going. The forecast was completely wrong.
I spent hours driving right in the center of a wall of wind, debris, and blinding sheets of rain. At one point, frogs were literally blowing across my windshield. Every exit was closed. Every business dark. I was trapped on the road with nowhere to pull over.
And then, out of nowhere, I came up behind an 18-wheeler.
I tucked myself in behind that truck and followed as closely as I safely could.
Its massive frame blocked the worst of the wind, and its glowing taillights became my guide: two small points of certainty in the chaos.
For miles, that’s what got me through: not being alone in the storm.
But the moment that truly changed everything came later.
I was deep into Raleigh, totally disoriented, roads flooded, traffic lights spinning on their wires and road signs rotating on their poles, and I realized… I had no idea where I was. Even though this was where I learned to drive, the city I knew like the back of my hand, I was completely lost. I couldn't see anything and it seemed like every turn I tried to take ran into a barricade because so many roads were closed.
Then I saw it.
The Rialto Theater—a landmark I recognized immediately.
And in a single instant, I realized something gut-dropping:
I was driving in the completely wrong direction.
Without that landmark, I never would have known. The truck had kept me safe, but the landmark set me right. Within minutes, I was on the correct path and heading home.
What Hurricanes Teach Us About Online Business
I’ve carried that lesson with me throughout my 25 years of working online.
You can be:
motivated
hardworking
consuming all the freebies
taking courses
watching YouTube tutorials
filling notebooks with ideas
… and still be driving in the wrong direction without realizing it.
Not because you’re not smart.
Not because you’re not capable.
Not because you don’t want success badly enough.
But because you’re inside the storm of your own business. It's kind of like being in a maze... from inside the maze, you simply cannot see what someone standing above it can see in seconds.
This is the part most people don’t want to talk about:
👉 A bunch of freebies won’t give you direction.
👉 Binging motivational videos won’t give you direction.
👉 Even a GREAT course won’t give you direction if there’s no one looking at your specific situation.
Courses and content are incredible, but they are built for the masses. They are not built for you.
When someone experienced steps into your business with you (someone who isn’t emotionally entangled, someone who can see the big picture) you get clarity that is impossible to generate on your own.
Many times, the next step isn’t a grand overhaul.
It’s one shift.
One small pivot.
One thing you couldn’t see because your visibility was reduced to two feet in front of you—like driving through a hurricane.
That’s what a mentor does.
A mentor becomes your 18-wheeler in the storm…
and your Rialto Theater when you need to reorient.
This Is Exactly Why I Created the 15-Minute Landmark Call
After the summit, so many of you reached out saying the same thing:
“I feel so inspired… but I don’t know what to DO next.”
That moment is where most people lose momentum.
This is why I created the Business Landmark Call, a free 15-minute session where I look at your business with you and identify:
✅ The ONE shift that will create momentum
✅ The direction you should move next
✅ The decision point that changes everything downstream
It is not a roadmap.
It is not coaching.
It is not a 20-step plan.
It is the one landmark you need to stop wasting time and start moving forward with clarity.
And right now, after the summit replay, it is the most powerful next step you can take.
The Summit Debrief Replay Is Available, but Only Until Sunday Night
If you haven’t watched the Post-Summit Debrief yet, the replay is up inside our Facebook group until Sunday night. (You’re getting extra time because my son and daughter-in-law are visiting and I’m mostly offline this weekend!)
Inside the 30-minute replay, you’ll learn:
✨ Why people stall after summits
✨ The one mistake that causes overwhelm
✨ How to actually plan your next 30 days
✨ Why direction > motivation
✨ How to stop starting over every year
It’s short, it’s powerful, and it’s the perfect bridge between inspiration and action.
👉 Watch the replay inside the Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/onlineincomeplaybook
Once you’re inside, you’ll see the video posted at the top in the featured posts. Make sure to answer the membership questions and agree to the group rules or your request to join will be automatically declined.
Links Mentioned in the Livestream (For When You Watch)
Create your AI Twin (the course I personally use):
https://stan.store/affiliates/b9b13be4-aacc-470e-8423-531818868c83
Book Your Free 15-Minute Landmark Call:
https://calendly.com/ateliermandaline/book-your-clarity-call
Get Lifetime Access to the Entire Summit for Just $97:
https://www.theonlineincomeplaybooksummit.org/vip-all-access-pass-oip
If You Take Away One Message Today…
You are not lost.
You are not behind.
You are not starting over again.
You may simply be headed in the wrong direction without realizing it.
And sometimes, all you need is:
🌧 a little shelter from the storm
🚚 a guide to follow
🎭 and a landmark to tell you, “Here’s where you are. Here’s where you’re going.”
I’m here to be that for you.
You just have to start the car.
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