I write this in hope that you have all enjoyed a great and well deserved holiday season.
Guys, you should have brought “her indoors” a gift to be proud of and one she deserved. Ladies, did you treat him like the king he thinks he is? If so, Christmas should have been a doozy.
But it all seems so last year now as you have been back to work for weeks. Is life any different? Has anything changed at all? Does it need to change?
For many busy business owners sitting down for any “prolonged non-active time”, (Christmas break) it forces the brain to explore areas not normally used.
Areas such as the forward thinking lobe, the what have I done with my life lobe, the I don’t want to be in this position again next year lobe. Maybe the we are going to be three times bigger in 12 months lobe and, very commonly, the I’m getting way too old for this lobe.
Is this prolonged non-active time healthy for busy business owners? Yes. In fact, I think it’s absolutely essential and I think it should happen more than once a year. But it can also be a dangerous pasttime as it can feed false hope.
Why false hope? When all lobes of the brain start working and they come up with possible answers, this gives hope.
But when you then re-join the world of “prolonged activity” and forget to act upon that hope then disillusion starts taking over.
The dangerous part is disillusion harbours complacency, and we carry on down the safe road.
There is a saying that is bandied around many times: “If you always do what you have always done you will always get the same results”.
So why have I turned from business coach to psychologist? Trust me, I haven’t.
I leave the clever stuff to the clever people. All I am saying is when you think it is time for a change and you come up with an answer, try it — don’t play the safe card.
Change is good, change is healthy and just because you can’t actually see it, change is necessary. It’s a necessity because the world changes around you and you need to keep ahead or at the least current with those changes.
The changes take multiple disguises, from compliance to IRD, from materials to techniques, from staff to price increases — there is no end to the changes all around you.
Then there is you — yes, you change too. The obvious change is we get older and slower, but also our attitudes change and our needs in life change. If you went into business single, then married, and now there are kids running around, not only have your financial commitments changed but your time is not yours alone to command.
So what’s this tale all about? It’s about you, and every now and then you need to take stock of yourself and make sure the path you are on is the right one.
In most cases it is, and with constant tweaking we make sure it’s perfect. But for some it’s not, and wholesale change is needed.
Which is why I am not on the tools anymore, have no employees, and don’t ever think about Mrs Bucket and her lavender bathroom. And why I became a Trades Coach . . .
Whatever change is needed, you are most welcome to call for a chat on 09 945 4880.
