"Your tribe will never be more excited about the journey than you are. Forgettable experiences create forgettable relationships, and forgettable relationships don't refer, don't renew, and don't become raving fans." 

Hey ,

Back when I walked alone...

I stuck to the same path every day.

Back and forth.

Predictable.

It “worked”…

But something was dying inside the routine.

Then I started walking with my eldest daughter.

First thing I noticed?

She never took the same route twice.

Not because she was bored...

But because she understood something I’d forgotten...

The brain craves novelty like lungs crave oxygen.

Every morning became a new experience:

Left instead of right.

New street instead of familiar.

Different perspective on the same neighborhood we’d lived in for years.

Add my habit of listening to strategic content…

And suddenly 30 minutes felt like 10.

Energy multiplied.

Ideas sparked.

I wasn’t just walking anymore.

I was experiencing.

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#pausesfordramaticeffect

#sipscoffeeandcontinues

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This reminded me of the most successful “route designer” in history:

Paul the Apostle.

Paul didn’t just wander.

He didn’t even always take the fastest route.

In Acts....

You see him constantly altering his paths...

Not because he was lost but because he understood that...

movement without strategy is just motion.

He didn’t go where it was easy.

He went where it would multiply.

From Damascus to Arabia (testing his message)

Back to Damascus (building credibility)

Jerusalem (validation from leadership)

Antioch (launch pad for expansion)

Three missionary journeys with intentionally different routes.

Every path was chosen for maximum leverage.

And here’s the genius...

The journey itself became the testimony.

#sipscoffee

Let's talk about: The Neuroscience of Route Design™

What my daughter intuitively understood and Paul embodied is something most leaders overlook:

Predictability is the enemy of engagement.

When the brain detects a pattern, it shifts into autopilot.

Dopamine drops.

Attention fades.

But....

Introduce novelty...

Even small changes and...

Attention sharpens

Memory deepens

Emotional connection spikes

Time perception shifts

This isn’t just psychology.

It’s leadership strategy.

I call this phenomenon: The Route Designer’s Framework™

And it consists of 4 core ideas:

1. Monotony kills memory.

Predictable experiences fade fast from memory.

Surprise them even a little and they remember.

2. Strategic variety beats random change.

Paul’s routes were deliberate.

Your changes should be too.

Designed experiences that serve your mission.

3. Layer engagement with enrichment.

New routes create room for new value.

Pair variety with deeper content, connection, or activity.

4. Energy is contagious.

If you’re bored, they’ll be bored.

Change the route in ways that excite you, and they’ll feel it.

Here's something to think about:

Can your tribe predict exactly what will happen next with you?

When did you last change the experience without changing the value?

Are they telling stories about their time with you…

Or has it all blended together?

If you’re not designing the route, you’re defaulting to one.

And default routes lead to disengagement.

Tomorrow’s walk apparently includes

“the house with the cool fence… and this pretty woman that apparently likes it when I walk by and wink at her as I way good morning.”

What’s your “cool fence” for your tribe this week?

This is The Certain Way.

All you need to do is...

Get out of your own way.

CTM

PS: If you requested the Identity shift paybook before the deadline...you'll get it via email within the hour.