Butt Glue

A couple of weeks ago, I was on the phone with my mom, discussing the writers’ block I have been experiencing–if you doubt me, look at how long it has been since I have posted, and how long it was before that, and you will see what I mean.  Seriously, I don’t even do status updates on Facebook–I barely get on to “LIKE” things that my friends say.

Anyway, my mom tells me about Stephen King being asked about writers’ block and what he does about it.  His cure:  ”BUTT GLUE.”

What is “Butt Glue?”

“Butt Glue” is glueing your butt to the chair in front of your computer and not getting up until you write, according to Mr. King.

Now, that explains a lot about his genre of writing.  His books start out mysterious and go completely dark before they are all over.  An extended amount of time with one’s behind firmly attached to a chair with glue would explain that.  Misery does not begin to describe what comes to mind.  (Hint:  Most people either drink wine or coffee when they write–I personally cannot write when drinking wine because my mind gets too lazy, but coffee on the other hand. . . .  Anyway, these beverages have an effect on the body which makes sitting still for extended periods of time improbable–hence the horror writing.)

Now, I have not verified that this in fact came from Stephen King, but I am going to accept that it did for three reasons.  One, my mom said so.  Two, it led to a humorous (I hope) anecdote. And, three, my mom said so.

On a serious note, I believe he was referring to commitment to your purpose, even when not inspired, even when it is not easy, convenient, or comfortable.  He was pointing to a level of determination where you will yourself to do what is necessary, even when your own mind is not cooperating.  You do what it takes to make yourself stuck in front of your task, and you do not relent until it is done.

Does that describe our commitment to our goals?  Do we just talk about working on them, think about working on them, and even work on them when inspired?  But, when it just isn’t flowing, we just let them sit.  Will that get us there?

Shonnie, my wife, business partner, and a writer as well, told me about a TV program she watches from time to time.  It is about a woman who goes in to struggling businesses and works with the owner to transform them to success.  What Shonnie noticed was that those business owners who were willing to do whatever necessary to follow this person’s advice accomplished the change.  Those who found it just too hard did not.  That challenges me.  Does it challenge you?

I want my goals.  Truthfully, I am not interested in my own excuses for not attaining them.  Sure, the excuse may be valid enough, but the end result is the same:  I don’t get my goal with its accompanying rewards.

So, what is your goal?  Is it writing that book?  Starting your business?  Transforming your existing business?  Improving your fitness?  (All of those are goals of mine.)  I can guarantee you that if you wait for inspiration, or for everything to be just right, before you get to work DILIGENTLY AND AGGRESSIVELY, your life will pass you by, and you will not get what you want.

Let’s be those who get what we want.

Mike

My apologies . . .

. . . for taking so long to write.  It has almost been three months.  That is crazy.

Unfortunately, I had a good reason.  In mid-August, I found out my father had Pancreatic cancer.  I went to visit him over Labor Day weekend.  September 7, he passed.  Funny thing about emotional distress and grief:  It makes writing a challenge.  I thought about it often, and wanted (even needed) very badly to do so.  But every time I sat down to do it, my mind locked up.  The thought of doing so made my brain hurt.  And there was nothing there.  No creativity.  Nothing.

Just living was taking all I had to give.  Honestly, I didn’t always do so good at that.  I have had a hard time feeling like myself.

I knew the time for “getting back in the saddle” was coming soon.  There were lots of ideas kicking around may head for me to share.  Now, I am ready to do so again.

So . . . get ready.

See ya soon,

Mike

Hurdles and setbacks

Have you ever noticed that when you set out to accomplish something, all sorts of things go wrong to stand in your way?  Sometimes it seems relentless.

I used to believe that these were just signs that I was barking up the wrong tree, that what I was attempting was a mistake, a waste of my time.  I should go back and try something else.  The problem with this belief was that every time I followed it, I quit and got nowhere.  And, really, my life was no easier, because there were always obstacles, even when I was really not trying to accomplish anything at all!  Figure that out.

Now, I view these challenges differently.  I see them in one or a combination of three ways:

1.  They are just things that happen, not signs that I am wasting my time.  They are universal and simply must be overcome.

2.  They are tests of my resolve.  Do I really want my goal, or do I just say that I do?  What am I willing to do to achieve it?  The bigger the challenge, the sweeter the accomplishment.

3.  They are like exercise, making me stronger.  Just like intense weight lifting builds muscle, and running and cycling build endurance, so overcoming these hinderances builds strength of character.

Believe me, I have to remind myself of this every day.  These trials are exhausting, and sometimes daunting.  But what is necessary for you to overcome is out there.

So, don’t be surprised at the ordeal you face as your pursue your purpose.  (This sounds like a Bible verse–do you know what it is?)   Press on, press through, and get what is yours.

Mike

‘Nuf Said

I saw this on my wife’s facebook page  and had to share.  Unfortunately, I could not copy the photo, so I am typing it.  I am not sure where it originated.  If I find out, I will give proper credit.

I believe anything is possible.

I see opportunity when others see impossibility.

I take risks.  I’m Focused.  I hustle.

I know that nothing is unrealistic.

I feel overwhelming love.

I embrace my childlike wonder & curiosity

I take flying leaps into the unknown.

I contribute to something bigger than myself

I create.  I learn.  I grow.  I do.

I believe it’s never too late to start living a dream.

I AM AN ENTREPRENEUR.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to have ventured out into this world of creating our own businesses understand this far too well.  I am mentally shaking the hand and patting the back of the author of this.

Have a good one!

Mike

What do you do with fear?

Are you doing anything in your business (or life) that makes you afraid?

I am.  I am in the process of changing how I run my company and my role in it.  It is exciting, but, honestly, it is very scary.  Frequently, (more frequently than I like to admit) my fear pushes me back to where I had always been in the past.  I have to WILL MYSELF forward.

Why is that?  What am I afraid of?

In this case, it is changing from spending most of my time doing things I was very good at, but were not the most effective uses of my energy.  Now, I have to do new things.  I fear failing at them.  I fear getting my hopes up only to not deliver on my plans–again.  I fear that I cannot handle it.  I cannot order the transition properly and it all blows up in my face.  

The list is actually quite common:

Change

Failure

Shame

Letting others and myself down

Loss of income

Letting go of something I am proficient at and can do mindlessly in order to press myself into something new.

So, what am I to do with these fears?  Do I obey them and run back to what is comfortable and normal?  How do I overcome them?

Well, I am using two things to overcome my fears and press on:

1.  Bigger Fears.  I am afraid of what my life will look like if I do not make the changes.  I do not like the look at all and am more afraid of this end than I am of working through the transformation.  I want to avoid this.

2. Desire.  I have things I want from my life.  These changes will afford me that opportunity.  I want to embrace this.

If you, like me, are pushing yourself into new territory and are regularly bogged down by fear, use these two strategies to help yourself press on.  Avoid the negative end you fear more than the change, and embrace the reward that you desire.  Carry on with your plans and beat your fears that seek to cripple you and your efforts.  Get your reward that you desire and avoid the end you really fear.

You can do this, and so can I.    We just have to remind ourselves of this sometimes because, when we are in the thick of it, we can forget.  And when we forget what we really want to get or really want to avoid, our little anxieties will bog us down.

Go get your reward!

Mike

Hope

Where do you find hope in the midst of uphill struggle?

This is a salient question for anyone who has pushed and made their small business (or really any challenging venture) happen.  Times will come when the struggle seems to run long and your energy (physical, mental, and emotional) starts to run short.  When you lose your ability to shake off the beat down of opposition that you get.  When the demands of your endeavor seem to exceed your supply.

Yet, you still want to get there.  After all, you started out on this journey.  You had great expectations and, seemingly, enough energy to accomplish them.  Now, not so much.

You are battling that old enemy of futility.

But you really want to win.  To achieve the goals you have set for yourself.

The question is:  How do you shake it off and find hope?

My answer is simply:  Look for it, and find it, anywhere you can.  But you have to want to have hope in order to find it when you are rolling from the punches that get thrown at you as you struggle to make your vision happen.  If you refuse the offers of hope that are held out to you, then they do you no good.

You can count on this as a certainty: As you strive toward your worthy and lofty goals, you will be opposed.  You will have struggle.  You will have setbacks.  You will have disappointments.  You may even feel like it it just too much.

That is when you have to revive your hope.  You have to restore your belief that your goal can be done.  Really, it was the sense of futility that made you so tired, not the battle itself so much.  If you believe you can win (hope), your energy is revived.  Your head is cleared to think creatively and effectively.  You take action instead of cowering.  In short, you begin to win again.

So, I ask again:  Where do you find your hope?

Think about it, and let me know.  I want to hear from you.

Mike

Managing Growth

Wow!  Has it really been two months since I last posted.  Actually, it has even been a little longer.  Time flies when you are busy!

Business continues to be hectic.  We are continuing our expansion into the Florida panhandle (pity me, if you must!), and are maintaining strong weekly business home in Birmingham.  We keep getting new clients.  It is exciting!

Managing growth is a challenge.  I have hired new staff, and brought old staff back on board.  I am using existing employees in new ways to help me catch up with my admin requirements.  Right now, I feel pretty comfortable with my staffing levels.  Another round of growth (which I am pressing for) will require more new employees, but, for the moment, we are ok.

Now, my new hurdles are not so much my company being understaffed as they are having to make existing equipment and vehicles stretch as efficiently as possible as I move toward investing in more.  Limitations here have affected our ability to generate business, so it is time to purchase.  I cannot maximize my staffing levels until I do.  At this time, I am not interested in increasing my company’s debt exposure, so I am looking at used equipment and vehicles.  Careful purchases here can pay for themselves quickly in increased sales and decreased headache.  They enable me to finish jobs for clients faster and move on to more jobs.  They will enable me to make full use of my staff and free me up further to run my company and sell for it.

That is my goal in all of this–to change my role in my company from chief do-er to leader and driver who is a do-er when it is necessary but does not see it as his primary job.  This is a step-by-step process that I must take because early on in the game I kept myself too much in the labor mix, and, honestly, stunted my company’s growth because of it.  Now, I have a chance to change all of that, and that is what I will do in all of this.  I am going to work as hard as I need to to get this done, but I am going to fight the urges that pull me to do what I have always done.  Because doing what I have always done will get me what I have always gotten.  While this is not terrible, it is also not everything I want for my business or for my life.  I have a beautiful wife who reminds me of these things every time I try to hold on to my old roles instead of developing other people so I can focus on things where I could make maximum impact for all of us.

So, this time, I am going to manage our growth and use it to manage my way into running my business instead of primarily laboring in it.

That is the objective.  It takes steps.  And I am taking them.

Talk to you soon (definitely sooner than two months!).

Mike