Down to Bid’ness

Well? It happened.

I graduated from comics to crosswords.

And now I’m seriously contemplating adding a sweater vest and tweed cap to my wardrobe.

Maybe it’s the more relaxed pace of quarantine. Maybe it’s my inability to walk away from a challenge.

But 3 weeks ago, I stumbled across a massive crossword puzzle in the Saturday paper. 

Huh.

Ok…..you’re on. I’ve got this.

I quickly grabbed a pencil, spread out the newspaper wide, threw the Stones on my record player (oh shit….I am 80), and got to work.

Now, you have to understand. This thing is huge. And as I slaved away at it…..one moment, thinking I’m brilliant…..and the next moment, banging my head on the table…..it hit me.

Running a business is just like tackling a crossword puzzle.

And here’s why.

Decisivness

With over 800 clues to answer, you have to be decisive. There’s no possible way to fully cross-reference that shit. And so you just have to throw it in there….even if you’re not 100% certain. 

And like business, it begs you to take messy action. It requires confidence despite ambiguity. And a willingness to keep walking forward, even though you’re not entirely sure that the path you’re taking is the money path.

Patience

Sure. When I nailed clue #1, I may have had a glimmer of hope. Believing that I could knock this puppy out of the park by lunch time. But as I got into it, I quickly realized that it would take much longer than expected.

And is that not absolutely the case with business?! It is our ability to be patient, that ultimately wins the day.

Because patience is calm acceptance. Calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order….and at a different pace….than the one you had in your mind.

Microproductivity

One step at a time. It’s a principle that I like to call, microproductivity. Did I just make that word up? You bet.

But it’s a term that perfectly captures the idea that oftentimes, you have to break things down into smaller chunks.

I’ll sit down with that crossword for 15….20 minutes, and then come back to it another day. I’ll tackle one section at a time. And not get overwhelmed by the whole enchilada. 

Business is about breaking things down into manageable, bite-sized chunks. And deliberately creating tunnel vision for yourself. So that you can give 110% to one thing at a time. And eventually, create a masterpiece.

You dig?

Alright. Now, you’ll have to excuse me. I’ve got some lawn bowling to get to.