THE MYTH OF FIGURING IT OUT.

On Friday, as I’m beaming with good news, I find myself meeting with a team member.  They are “trying to figure things out,” which I applaud.  I loved that she confides in me, not sure I can help, I’m a horrible listener, but I have large ears…that’s gotta be a start.  Anyways…   The problem to me is, we’ve met on this before, going back a few years.   Meaning: nothing has changed… yet there she is …figuring things out.

But that’s not the reason for the TGIM.

Further into the conversation, we will call this person Daisy, Daisy relates, “But you obviously have it all figured out…” and that’s when the conversations screeches to a halt.

I stammer, I laugh, I actually get a little pissed.  Then the light bulb goes on in my little brain.  THIS IS A TEACHING OPPORTUNITY (my 2017 one word: teach.)

NO ONE HAS IT FIGURED OUT.  AND NO ONE EVER WILL.

We are completely unique people traveling around a sun, on a round object, in a unique speck of time, at a unique place. It’s a solely unique experience, there is no app or map.  No on in the past or future will have a manual and sit back and think; I have it figured out.

Yes, I have 3 kids, an amazing wife, a nice house, a growing business, good friends, a dog that loves me, the best people in the world to work with… but figured out?  HELL NO.  NOT EVEN CLOSE.  I struggle CONSTANTLY with what’s the next thing, I chase perfection.  How easy it would be to lose any of this at anytime.  Perhaps customers won’t want to buy from us, perhaps my family will get hit by a bus, perhaps my dog starts liking my wife more than me (let’s not get crazy here)… I mean figured out?  No way!   But am I happy? Yes.  Am I going forward? Yes.

We are going to Madison.  This could put us out of business, yes it could.  Am I worried, not a bit, we have a great team.  Could it fail?  YOU BET!  And if it does, so what?  We do it again, and again.  We try, we fail.  We do it without fear…. which is why…here’s 10 ways to start “figuring it out.”

SO HOW DO I START FIGURING THINGS OUT:

1.  TAKE THE FIRST STEP.  The hardest part of working out at 5am religiously is THE FIRST STEP OUT OF BED.  Once you are up and vertical the rest honestly is cake.  That first step takes all the will power!
2.  DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT.  Here’s a short article if you are interested in learning more.
3.  JUST DO IT.  Tomorrow is not promised.  In 100 years we will ALL BE DEAD.  Please don’t care so much, let it go.  Life is a game, be bold.  Nike was right.  Completely.  Just do it.  There are hundreds of cliches that talk like this, and they are all exactly what we need to here!
4. As Keith Batenhorst likes to say, FSU (or F*** S*** Up).   And by that he means, make a mess. Or as we say around here, “READY, FIRE, AIM.”  Basically if you just get started, you will figure it out.
5. FEAR.  Oh, that’s real.   That’s why you need THE TEAM to walk you off the ledge.  A team of bad ass people that will encourage you… which leads me to #6…
6. POSITIVE.  Hey, you know which ideas suck?  ALL OF THEM.  You know which ones are good? MOST OF THEM.  The difference?  A positive influence.  That’s it.
7. 1% BETTER.  If you focus on getting started, then focus on getting better… that’s a great path.
8. STUPID BIG DREAMS.  Think in BIG DREAMS but live in little steps.  Want to be an organic farmer someday? Start with your own garden.  That’s a good first step.
9. TIME.   But Joel I don’t have time to get started?  Look we all have 24 hours each day.  No one gets more.  If you aren’t taking the time for “your true passion,” you are doing it all wrong, or it’s really not your true passion.
10. HAVE FUN.  If your dreams are not fun, they really can’t be your dreams.  Quit doing…and get started on something else.

Extra credit:  Your passion is maybe DREXEL and outside of work.  It’s ok to be obsessed with our mission to supply happiness, and say raising honey bees.  It doesn’t have to be one or the other.  It can be both.  There’s room for both.

So, what did I tell Daisy?  Get started.  Whatever that means… do SOMETHING BOLD.  DO IT NOW.  LIFE DOESN’T WAIT.  GOD DOESN’T WANT YOU TO WAIT.  IT WON’T BE EASY, IT WILL BE WORTH IT!  AND LASTLY, IF SHE FIGURES IT OUT… LET ME KNOW, I WANT IN!  🙂

— – Joel Fleischman.  Joel is Head Coach of the solution providers for Drexel Building Supply.  (drexelteam).   You can follow him on twitter:  @JoelmFleischman.   Our mission is to be a supplier of others happiness.  I hope this little post did just that.