What and Who are you working on?
As I’ve shared recently, my son and I started a new venture for lawn care, ER Mowing.? This came from a vision offered when I was mowing my mom’s yard.? From vision to now serving clients, 30 days up and running.?
I asked my son, “how do you define success for our business?”? I asked as we are still working through kinks, grinding to get leads, administrative stuff and operating as a start up.? His initial response, “$400 a day would be good”.?
Knowing that we are not there by any stretch, and still tweaking our SOPs, inventory process and intake form, I asked again, “How do you define success as a start up company?”? This time his response was much closer to what I was hoping.? “We are getting leads, we are cleaning up processes.? We are steady allowing us to continue to work on things.”? Well said.
What are you working on and who are you working on?? Have you figured out what success means to you?? Comparison kills.? Life is not meant to be easy.? If you are disappointed that work is hard, then be grateful you get tested.? If work is too easy, is it helping you focus on other areas of your life that are more challenging??
It is said that no one escapes failure and disappointment. So we might as well plan on ?it, prepare for it with a view to profit from it.? Les Brown, a favorite ?speaker of mine for a long time, just like his story.? Like him, I dreamt of being a DJ. I had a moniker picked out, Rude Dog.? “Rude dog coming to you live and in charge, let’s spin some tunes and talk about life…”? Les got his gig and I never tried.?
“Do what is easy and your life will be hard.? Do what is hard and your life will become easy”, Les Brown.? I won’t agree with him that life becomes easy, perhaps easier. With Jesus, life is not easy.? It’s intentional, life is hard but the peace you gain is much more.? Through our tough times, dark times, and suffering we find Jesus and peace.?
I won’t bore you with more Les, but I do love this one. “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” Am I living my dream? Never did I think about my dream job as FT Lawn Guy. BUT, I’m not living my fear. With Him, through Him and because of Him, my life is better.
My overarching reason as to why I share this post/article/whatever with you is because you should not feel Guilt nor Shame in what you do.? If you are working for the right reasons then embrace it.? Guilt is because you did something wrong and you know it.? Most of us don’t live with that.? We live with shame. Shame is us heaping label upon label upon ourselves.? “I suck”.? “I don’t deserve anything”. “I’m not worthy”.? We do this at work, home, out and while not working.? It’s the times that there is silence that shame grabs us the most.? For some, they are perpetually suffering shame no matter what.? They hid it well.? They deflect well.? No one deserves shame.?
What are you working on?? Who are you working on?? Keep in mind the journey you are on, may not just be about you.? Embrace the journey and challenge.?