This past week, I had the opportunity to speak with an individual who was, to use his words… totally stressed out. Anxiety, pressure, fear, insomia, and anger… all were mentioned inside of twenty minutes. Oh, yeah… and freaked out was in there too.
It seems the economy was threatening his job and that was threatening his finances which then threatened his attitude which spilled over and threatened his relationships and that was now threatening his health.
I suggested he stop the threats.
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I spend a ton of time writing and teaching about fixing what’s not working. The first step is always an honest evaluation of the current situation, and its relationship to reaching concrete goals in a specific time period. You can apply it to any area of life.
The questions are really pretty simple. Where am I, and where am I headed? If I stay on the current path, will I reach the objectives I set for the end of this quarter… next quarter… end of the year, etc.? What do I need to change to stay on course?
The economy isn’t the problem… not adjusting to meet changing circumstances is. As leaders, we accept the responsibility of running the race, and getting to the destination, in spite of the obstacles.
The quickest way I know to get the focus off of ourselves and our challenges is to, well… get the focus off ourselves and our challenges.
When we find a way to help relieve the stress, anxiety, pressure, and fear that someone else is feeling… our stress, anxiety, pressure, and fear seems to just magically fade away.
It’s not magic.
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So, back to the gentleman I mentioned earlier. I asked him if he was any good at what he did for a living. Sticking out his chest, he suggested that he was one of the best.
So I asked what they paid him per hour. “$23.50” came the response. “And what do they bill you out at?” I asked. “$90-$130 an hour, depending on the client.”
I suggested that losing that particular job might be the best thing that ever happened to him… that he was worth up to one hundred dollars an hour more to his clients than he was to his employer.
That realization has launched millions of small businesses.
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Then I asked one other question to solidify his thinking. “What one thing did you do in your career this year that was so over-the-top cool… so extraordinary… so meaningful and remarkable… that you’ll be remembered long after your gone?”
Silence.
Then he said, “Well, it’d be different if I owned the company… I have a ton of ideas that would make a difference.”
Exactly… welcome to the ownership side of life! I suspect he slept easier this weekend.
I look forward to speaking with you.
Questions:
Take time and money out of the equation, then answer this question: What do you want to be remembered for the most?
If you had five times your present income, and twice the time… what would you do for others?
What is your plan to get the time and money, and when will you have it?
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