A loved one calls
at least once a day
to ask me
to remind another loved one
to do certain things.
That’s not happening.
Because I have things
I want this loved one
to do for me
also.
Her top priorities
aren’t my top priorities.
Not by a long shot.
And she can remind him
herself
when she talks with him
multiple times a day.
That’s a task
that doesn’t need delegating.
Your priorities
aren’t likely to be
someone else’s priorities.
Remember that
when you ask for help.
The worldwide pandemic
of 1918-1920
is referred to
as the Spanish Flu.
That isn’t because
the pandemic started in Spain.
It is because
Spain was one of the only countries
that initially didn’t suppress news
about the spreading pandemic.
The rest of the world
did what the rest of the world
is doing right now
with COVID and Bird Flu
and Climate Change
and other negative news
– they reported on news
only when it suited their owners’ goals.
And it didn’t suit their owners’ goals
to report on the pandemic.
The news has always been
manipulated.
It is merely more obvious now
due to the internet
and the easier
person-to-person
communication of events.
And it is more serious now
because many of the events
the news now chooses
not to report
could kill us,
could kill loved ones,
could kill our businesses.
Have other sources of news.
Experts are often available
via social media.
Follow and listen to them.
Most business builders
are fixers.
We like to fix problems.
And often
the way we try to
fix other people’s problems
is by giving advice.
99% of people
don’t listen to advice.
Most people also
hate receiving advice.
And giving advice that isn’t taken
wastes
valuable time
plus it is frustrating.
But it is dang hard to resist.
What I do (now) is…
I write my advice to that person
in a message
that I don’t ever send.
Yes, I waste time
on that initial message
but I save time
by not sending it
or dealing with the responses.
And I don’t get frustrated
with the person
for not taking my advice.
I have more time.
I’m happier.
And my relationships with
other people
are better.
Respond if you need to do that.
Simply don’t send that response.
Over the last few days,
I’ve been posting
about Fascism,
Project 2025
and the ramifications
of that
on business builders.
You might be asking
why I would post about this
NOW.
The election is in November.
The next US President
won’t take power
until January 20th.
The primary reason is
plans take time to craft.
And planning for Project 2025
is a HUGE process.
F*ck.
Project 2025 is 922 pages.
Merely reading it
will take time.
(And you can bet your entire start up funding
that there are implications scattered
everywhere
in those 922 pages.)
The other key reason is…
my action plan for client k,
if Trump’s Republicans get elected,
is to go nuclear.
This blog will be zapped.
I will likely already be
on the Fascists’ extremely long hit list
by then,
merely by warning you
about Project 2025,
but I won’t make it easier
for them.
I’m taking Project 2025
seriously.
You should take it seriously
also.
It angers me
that I have to post this
but, as the billionaires
controlling the media
seem intent on promoting fascist leaders,
I think it is prudent.
Fascists tend to
signal their intentions
to their followers
long before coming into power.
They publish documents
like Mein Kampf or Project 2025.
These documents
serve as to-do lists.
And when the fascists
come into power,
they complete the items
on that to-do list.
Quickly.
First, they craft
more lists,
lists of people
that engage in the acts
they seek to punish.
This step often happens
BEFORE the fascists
come into power.
Once their secret hit lists
are complete,
the fascists quietly and quickly
make those acts illegal.
Then,
often that same day/night,
the fascists will
arrest the people
on their lists.
And many of those arrested people
will never be
seen again.
THIS is why
we, as business builders,
have to prepare
for the possibility
of fascism
NOW.
Because the fascists
are definitely preparing.
Be prepared to act quickly.
Project 2025
outlines the Trump’s Republicans’
plans if they seize power
over the US.
Take it seriously.
Because it WILL
impact all American businesses.
Especially small and/or growing
businesses
like the ones
we’re building.
A LOT of activities
and associations
will become illegal.
Did you sell to a Muslim
or a Gay person
or an autistic person
or a woman
anytime in the past,
as one small example?
You might consider
purging your customer records
if Trump’s Republicans win.
Fascists move quickly.
You will have little,
if any,
time to react.
Create a plan
to deal with Project 2025.
Have an action list,
complete with how to take
those actions
quickly.
Lives could depend on this.
For every plant
I wish to grow,
I plant three seeds.
In nature,
failure is often
the default.
It is natural,
the way of things.
In business,
unfortunately,
failure is also often
the default.
More businesses fail
than succeed.
MANY more.
Because we often don’t see
the businesses that failed
before they were opened.
And EVERY successful business builder
has failed at a business,
usually at more than one business.
I’ve failed at hundreds
of businesses
from the vegetable selling business
I started when I was eight
to the Romance Novel business
I’m closing due to low sales
next year.
But that’s okay
because I kept trying
and eventually
I was successful with a couple
of businesses.
And that success made
my investment in and learning from
the failures
worthwhile.
Failure is part of
an entrepreneur’s journey.
It isn’t the end of it.
Keep going.
I watered the garden
last evening.
Today, it rained.
I suspected it might rain.
The forecasts said it might.
But there was a chance
it wouldn’t rain.
And I knew
another day without water
would hurt,
perhaps even kill
some of the plants.
So I ‘wasted’ that water
(not really as it was
taken from a rain barrel
that refilled with the rain)
and I wasted my time.
Because that ‘cost’
was less than
the cost of killing my plants.
There are some events
in our future
that might, if they happen,
severely impact our businesses,
perhaps even kill them.
Act as though
they will happen.
Yes, that means
you’ll waste resources
if they don’t happen,
but the cost of not doing anything
far outweighs
the cost of doing something
for no reason.
Prepare for these events.
Yesterday,
I mentioned I planned to
build businesses
and manage projects
until I’m dead.
In the past,
I’ve also talked about
how climate change,
various pandemics,
fascism
and other events
will kick our a$$es.
You might be thinking
these two stances
contradict each other.
We can’t build businesses
during an apocalyptic-like event.
Actually, yes,
yes, we CAN build ‘businesses’
during an apocalyptic-like event.
These ‘businesses’ won’t likely
have financial profit
as their goals.
The goal will likely be
survival.
But organizing people
toward reaching a common goal
will be necessary.
Managing people
will be necessary.
Motivating people
will be necessary.
Innovation will be necessary.
Then more than ever.
Because our survival will be
at stake.
There will always be
a ‘business’ to build.
The skills and experience
you’re gaining
are invaluable.
A loved one
is getting to the age
where she forgets a lot of things.
This is extremely
distressing to her.
I suggested she maintain
a to do list.
She told me
she tried that.
The issue was…
she always forgot
to craft the to do list.
In contrast,
I’ve had a to do list
since I was a child.
I don’t feel right
if I don’t have one.
I doubt I’ll ever forget
to craft a to do list.
Put your memory prompting systems
in place NOW,
long before you ever need them
Create and maintain
those habits.
We’re business builders.
We’ll likely build businesses
and manage projects
until we’re dead.
Set up systems
now
to make that easier.