Be
It’s hard to reduce your speed when everyone around you is going 80 miles per hour.
Go with “the flow” of traffic we are told. Even if everyone else is breaking the speed limit.
What’s true of the highway is true in the marketplace.
The predominant thinking is that you have to keep up with everybody else or you’ll get run over.
“Kill or be killed”?
“Keep up with the Joneses.”
But…
There is a way to do this business & life thing that doesn’t compromise your morals, doesn’t break the speed limit, and doesn’t live by their rules.
Slow.
Move at a reasonable pace.
Remember that life and business are not a sprint but a marathon.
Be the kind of person who is unfazed by “market-speak”. You know what I’m talking about.
“How’s the market doing?”
“What’s the interest Rate right now?”
“Next years an election year, gonna be a tough one.”
Be unfazed.
Set your own speed under the speed limit.
Remember, the turtle always wins.
Do
How do we slow our pace?
1. Prioritize. Identify the activities that keep your business and life going. Ask yourself the question, “What are the 3 activities, or 5 habits (whatever action points) that I must do every day to ensure that business keeps coming through the door? How do I keep my family together and growing as a unit? What’s the most important thing to communicate or do for my spouse every day?
2. Leave room for distractions. You’re going to be interrupted. When an interruption happens, consider this question: “Is this important enough for me to stop what I’m doing to tend to because it has to do with one of my goals, my family priorities, or my relational success, or is it truly a distraction that I need to say no to and keep on working?”
3. Preview & Review your day. At the beginning and end of your day set aside 10 minutes to preview and review your day. Set an alarm reminder on your phone. Get out your planner or a notebook and brainstorm your day. Then plot out your activities for that day including appointments. Sit down at the end of your day and check off your list.
4. Celebrate. Get yourself a glass of water, or your favorite drink and celebrate a job well done. Don’t forget to enjoy this life you’ve been given. Smile. Laugh. Play. Enjoy. Your family and friends need you.
I’ll bet the turtle was smiling the day he beat the hare.