New Business Development – Page 74

Fix Something

We’re business builders,
doers,
likely also fixers.

There are so many issues
in the world
right now
to fix.

I’m tempted to try
to fix them all.
That’s not possible,
especially if I want to fix things
permanently
and
in the best way possible.

I have to focus my efforts,
go where I most make a difference.

When Wikipedia, for example,
didn’t accept my expert edits,
I moved elsewhere,
focused on the next project,
on an issue I WAS allowed to fix.

We can’t fix everything
but we CAN fix something
and that something might make a difference.

Admire The Actions

I get really nervous
when someone states
they admire X person.

Because that person
has flaws.

EVERY person on this planet
is flawed.
We all have issues,
faults,
bad stances on some things.

I admire people’s actions.
I admire X person’s kindness
toward me
or toward specific people.
I admire their views
on specific things.

I don’t know their views
on EVERYTHING.
I don’t know how they treat people
when I’m not around them.
I don’t know what secret projects
they’ve been working on.

Admire the actions,
not the person.

Editing Wikipedia

I often read the suggestion
that people contribute to the world
by editing a Wikipedia post
in their field of expertise.

Yeah.
Good luck with that.

The Wikipedia posts on Romance Novels
are horrendous.
They were clearly written
by people who hate Romance.

They are so bad,
Romance writers and readers
started their own independent Wikis.

I tried editing one Wikipedia article
in my niche.
It didn’t matter how many sources
I stated or linked to,
every edit was deleted.

I’m a multi-USA Today Bestselling Author.
I’ve been published by huge New York Publishers.
I had expert sources.
I have written for newspapers.
I followed instructions,
linked to noteworthy sources.

Nothing I did was accepted.
Everything edit was overturned
by the Romance-hating gatekeepers.

I hear that about
a lot of Wikipedia articles,
especially those involving
female achievements.

If you try to add your expertise
to a Wikipedia article
and your input is deleted,
don’t take it personally.
It happens to many of us.

And please stop giving
that outdated advice
to people.

COVID Isn’t Going Away

I will make a not-so ‘wild’ prediction
and say
we, business builders,
have to plan for COVID
or COVID’s cousin
to be with us
for years.

There are too many unvaccinated people,
too many people not wearing masks
in the U.S.
for it to disappear.

Americans travel often
so other countries also won’t eliminate COVID.

Unless a miracle happens,
COVID will be a factor for years.

I don’t count on miracles
when I build my business plans.

I’m factoring COVID into my strategies
and my goals.

Plan for COVID to remain.

Everyone Successful Has Also Been Lucky

Today is St. Patrick’s Day,
a day I always associate
with good luck.

Every successful person
I have ever known
has benefited from
good luck
in some form.

I won the birth lottery
having been born
in North America.
If I had been born
in South Africa,
for example,
my life would have been
VERY different.

I also won a full scholarship,
which meant I graduated
with little debt.
Sure, I applied for
hundreds of scholarships
but other students did that also
and didn’t end up
with full scholarships.
A portion of that was
luck.

My list of lucky breaks
is very, very long.
I’ve experienced bad luck also,
of course.
Everyone does.
But my good luck
has vastly outweighed my bad
and that has made a tremendous difference
in my life.

Good luck plays a factor
in success.
Don’t discount it.

And when you become successful,
be grateful for it.

You ARE lucky.
Not everyone is.

The Horrid Tasks

Yesterday, I disposed
of a dead mouse.

It was a horrid task.
I was sick to my stomach
while completing it.

But I did it
because that task
had to be done
and
I was the best person
for the job.

A loved one
flippantly commented
that I didn’t mind
doing that task.
I’d done it in the past.

No.
I very much
minded.

Horrid tasks don’t become easier
because they have been done
in the past.
If anything,
they become more horrid,
more traumatizing.

Remember that
when you’re delegating
the horrid tasks
on your to-do list.

Horrid tasks
are always horrid.

Treat the people
who complete them
with respect.

Invest In Your Space

If you started working
from home
during the pandemic,
telling yourself
it would only be
for a few months,
and you’re still
working from home
today,
invest in your space.

Get a proper chair,
for example.
The dining room chair
was okay for a month.
It isn’t suitable
to use
for 8 hours a day
over the entire year.

Set up your workspace
properly.
Ensure your lighting
is adequate
and your screen is positioned
at the proper height.

Invest in the little things
that will make your day
happier and healthier.

This is no longer
a temporary solution.
Treat it as long term.

Invest in your working space.

Maintaining Your Tools

Every few years,
I hire a professional
to look at all my websites.

She scans the sites
for issues,
tightens the security,
updates things
that need updating.

This professional ensures
I’m working with the best sites
possible for me.
This optimizes my efforts.

Seth Godin
shares

“Who maintains your tools?

Perhaps it’s a computer
with all the software
that goes with it.
Do you have a world-class pro,
someone who is up-to-date,
skilled, innovative
and empathic
making sure that they’re working well?
Or are you doing it yourself,
muddling through?

If we have mediocre tools,
why should we expect great work?”

Every so often,
consider hiring a professional
to optimize your tools.

A Time To Rest

It would be very easy
for me
to work hard
seven days a week.

There are unlimited stories
I could write
(products I could manufacture),
endless promotion
I could do.

But working hard seven days a week
would make me ill.
I would burn out physically
and mentally.
And then I wouldn’t be writing
ANY stories.

I try my best
to take it easy
on Sundays.
That’s my day of rest.

Jean Brownhill,
Founder of Sweeten,
shares

“On a deeper note,
there’s a framework
that athletes use
that has been really helpful.
There’s time to play,
time to practice,
and
there’s time to rest
—you need to do all
of those things.

There’s no athlete
in the world
who hasn’t built in recovery
into their overall strategy
for living.”

Rest is important.
Schedule for it.

Prioritize The Strategy

Before I start a project,
I craft a strategy for it
and outline which actions
are absolutely necessary
to make that strategy happen.

When things get hectic,
I review that list
and ensure those actions
aren’t dropped.

That keeps the project moving forward.

Zoe Krislock,
CEO of
MiniLuxe,
shares

“Managing cash to meet
strategic goals and investments
while balancing the next fundraise
is challenging for me.
COVID is a great example of this.
We had great plans, good momentum
and then things changed overnight.
Having the discipline
to prioritize the strategy,
only invest in what really mattered
and build the plan
to get to the next step
was critical.”

Prioritize the strategy.
Always.