Thursday morning, Medusa, my daughter's Rottweiler-Yorkie mix, experienced what can only be described as DOG-HELL.
The cat next door, an animal who to Medusa represents the embodiment of evil on earth, ran through the back yard at the very moment the dog began to poop.
The dilemma of how to engage her enemy while dealing with a present urgency was emotionally, and functionally, gut-wrenching for her.
Of course, this scene naturally made me think of - well - the challenges entrepreneurs face.
All of us with entrepreneurial DNA have a passion for something, a unique process that will create value, and we will benefit from a sense of having made things better, and a profit to boot.
Medusa had opportunity run right in front of her. Unfortunately, dealing with the crap of her operations meant that opportunity quite literally passed her by.
Now, to be fair, Medusa did not have a choice.
You and I do.
We can make sure we stay fresh by at least once a week taking a 24 hour period, midnight to midnight, disconnected from our work. And when we take "vacations," we have to be faithful, and not sneak away for clandestine trysts with "Blackberry."
Then we stay rejuvenated, ready to identify opportunity and create value.
But don't forget to concentrate days devoted to working on the business, acquiring and building capabilities, and to deal with the messes of life.
Finally, concentrate time on the Unique Abilities(R) I alluded to above. Everything else delegate, or outsource wherever possible. You and I have an advantage over Medusa. We can delegate the things we find to be poop to people who are ready, willing and enthusiastic about taking it on.
You can find some great insight on how to do the above in two great books - Unique Ability: Creating the Life You Want, by Catherine Nomura and Julia Waller, and The Time Breakthrough, by Dan Sullivan. You can find them at private.strategiccoach.com.
And as to Medusa? Well, outsourcing the byproduct of her success is - er - just not a doable.
Great insight here, Frank and I think you have something in the idea of "unplugging" for 24 hours every week. That could make a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, and having worked in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory for 11 years, I believe I will never look at dog poop in the same way again!!