MORE OF THIS, LESS OF THAT
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
I have no desire or intention to slow down or cease pursuing new things, business adventures, clients and fresh explorations in life’s possibilities – at work, at play, home and away – with newfound zeal …
The how and why of it is not for detailing here and how because so much of it feels like building castles in the air with ‘a rough outline’ on the page. Some days I wake up wondering if I’m a bit nuts, but those are few. Most days, I realize the collage of skills, memories and career chapters have collectively conspired to put me right here, right now. And, they’ve installed an ample supply of passion for weathering turbulent times while navigating some idiot encounters; I’m a little worn down, but not out.
Not everyone needs what I’m selling, and I don’t need massive numbers of new or different clients – but, like any differentiating message, it’s more than identifying the optimal parties and inviting them to meet. Or is it exactly that?
In high school, I loved chemistry class but had trouble in the lab – because getting the results we were supposed to measure didn’t work out so well for me. However, the experiments of anyone’s career in business, real estate, finance, education and communication (my earlier career in the retail and wholesale footwear business too) taught me through experience how to draw puzzle pieces and people together.
I learned to sell, to write, to speak, to close deals, and to not close off opportunities. That said, my future – the following chapters are more about offering a service and a capacity to execute projects that make a lasting difference than the typical selling or leasing something – about solving a problem someone has not defined yet – but they know they have a problem.
Yes, I see a bright light at the end of this tunnel I’m in; connecting with some dream clients, my change-making message is poised, and these missiles (if I dare use that metaphor) are about to launch.
I’m not locked & loaded inflexibly, but more determined than ever – intend on not wasting any of this precious time-limited runway in front of me.
How then, do I make room for my future clients/relationships and ventures inside a too-busy-already practice?
Working more, working harder – those are easy, but they are avoidance tactics I’ve learned well, but I need to unlearn some of them. Weekend work-a-thons have their place, and this weekend just past fit the bill for me – it allowed me the uninterrupted think time I required.
That aside, for the moment – I don’t think I’m unique; this is not about my long-postponed mid-life crisis, or pandemic after-shocks only.
I think this is an epidemic problem brought on by our increase in capacity, which is brought on by better and faster tools because everyone is in such a hurry, so we push things aside – often important items but we push aside or delay things we least want to, and sometimes that neglect has costly consequences – or worse, we miss bounteous opportunities.
Each day of routine seems to have additions rather than reductions; operating my mini war-room of problem tackling in my brain, like a triage manager in an emergency room.
First, emergencies; second, import but not critical; next ~ everything else.
But some days, everything seems like an urgent emergency, and then everything else seems to be endless …
A few days away, or at home off the treadmill are therapeutic and energizing. The help me put perceived monster problems into perspective, deflate their magnitude to a manageable level – to be taken care of, but not to take me off track, off course, off message …
And, on a lighter/whiter note ~
Calgary’s mild winters often have us thinking spring way too soon, as the last few big-dump snow days have proven – and reminded us what winter driving is like after weeks of bare-dry-melting; a reality check for drivers and walkers, so take care and watch your step, there is plenty of winter and shoveling ahead of us.