Some events in the future
are easy to predict.
Water will become
more valuable,
for example.
The number of disabled people
will increase,
as another example.
But the average person
doesn’t want to know
the future,
especially if it is bad
and
especially if they have
to change
to avoid that bad.
You and I
and other leaders
are different.
We’re building businesses
for the future.
We increase our probability
of success
if we know what that future
looks like.
Plan for the future.
COVID causes brain damage.
EVERY bout, no symptoms, mild, severe,
damages our brain.
If you haven’t noticed it,
well…that’s not great.
I HAVE noticed it.
I’ve had COVID
at least twice
and I suffered brain damage
after each bout.
The brain damage
was, thankfully, slight.
My writing ‘voice’ had changed.
My tempo, choice of words,
pace had shifted.
I added a couple steps
to my process after that.
I read a before-COVID-written story
and then the about-to-be-edited story
and I ensure the writing is consistent.
Consider putting processes
in place
to deal with your hopefully slight
after COVID
brain damage
also.
And if you’re saying to yourself
that you don’t need this,
that you won’t or don’t
suffer from brain damage,
then I suspect you REALLY need it.
That’s not a happy realization
but accepting that will help you
to not only cope
but also achieve the success
you want for yourself.
A business building buddy
inserts a strip of paper
with a very bad child-friendly joke
into every shipment
of her products.
She grins every time
she does this.
It gives her joy.
It also gives
some of her customers joy.
But that isn’t the primary purpose.
The primary purpose
is it makes my friend happy.
And happy business builders
continue to build businesses.
Add some joy
to your work day.
That happiness
might be the burst of energy
you need.
Folks in northern climates
love to complain
about the snow.
Now, that the snow
is going away,
due to climate change,
people from elsewhere
assume we’ll be happy about that.
We aren’t happy
about that.
At all.
Because the snow
benefits our crops.
Without the slow release
of moisture
from snow packs,
our farmers face drought.
The snow and the cold
is also necessary
for our local plants, insects,
animals, birds
and many, many industries.
Don’t assume
complaints
about an aspect of your products
mean those customers or prospects
want that aspect removed or changed.
Humans are illogical beings.
It might not mean
that at all.
Investigate
before you take action.
When I need to quiet
my brain,
I often play
a solitaire-type game online.
I have it set
on the easiest mode.
Why?
Because the rest of my life
can be extremely challenging.
I’m building businesses
and trying to make the world
a better world.
I don’t need challenge
in my entertainment.
There are quite a few
‘easy modes’
in life.
We can do things like
pre-authorize bill payments
or outsource snow removal
or rideshare
instead of driving ourselves.
Every aspect
of your life
doesn’t have to challenge you.
Pick the easy mode
on some activities.
I have an elderly loved one
who REALLY loves Christmas.
For at least a month
leading up to Christmas,
she hypes it up in her mind.
Then, on Christmas Day,
she cries
because the reality
never matches the vision
she has created for it.
It CAN’T do that.
Reality is imperfect.
Things go wrong.
People say not-ideal things.
Emergencies happen.
This is true of almost everything.
The business you create,
for example,
won’t be the business
you dreamed of creating.
You’ll have grumpy customers.
There will be lean sales times.
Not everyone will understand
or appreciate
what you’re trying to accomplish.
Your reality won’t live up
to the hype.
But there will still be
awesome moments.
Enjoy those awesome moments.
And remember that
great stories
come from things that go wrong.
I will post a cute photo
of kittens
on social media
and receive comments
complaining that
I didn’t post
a photo of puppies.
Not everyone will like
what you post
or do
or build.
This especially applies
to your new business idea.
Some people won’t like it.
Heck, some people
will hate it.
And the more details you share
about the idea,
the more things people
will find wrong with it.
Hopefully enough people
will like it
to build a viable business
around them.
But some people won’t like it.
And a few people will hate it
with a fiery passion.
Expect that to happen.
Don’t let it stop you.
I can’t afford to be ill.
I live in Canada.
My stance doesn’t have
anything to do
with the financial costs
of medical care.
It has to do with time.
I don’t have the spare time
to be ill.
I don’t WANT to spend
time being ill.
I have books to write
(products to produce),
businesses to run,
other things I’d prefer
to do.
So I take precautions.
I wear a mask.
I wash my hands.
I improve ventilation
in spaces I occupy
(I have a personal air purifier
I hang on an lanyard
and wear around my neck.)
All of this
takes mere seconds.
I can then focus on other things.
And I save countless days
not being ill.
You and I can’t afford to be ill.
Preventing illness
has a huge return on investment.
Make that investment.
Yesterday,
I was a heartbeat away
from arguing with a stranger
on social media
about something non-business related.
I caught myself
in time.
And I realized…
I should be funneling
that energy
into my business.
Arguing with a stranger
wouldn’t accomplish
anything.
I was unlikely
to change his mind.
He was unlikely
to educate me
in any way.
All it would be
was a time suck
and an energy drain.
I closed social media
for the day
and I worked on my business.
When you find yourself
arguing
with strangers
on social media,
that’s a sign.
It is time
to get back to work.
If the weather
and air quality allows it,
go outside
for a few minutes.
Find a patch of green.
Look at a plant.
And the sky.
And the ground.
Focus.
Pay attention.
Notice details
like the veins on a leaf
or the shape of the clouds
or the moistness of the soil
under your shoes.
Forget everything else
for a moment.
And absorb your surroundings.
Once you’re relaxed,
go back inside
and get back to work.
You NEED this break.
You don’t think you do
right now
but you need it.
Take it for yourself
and for the business
you’re building.