If You WAIT For Your Ducks to be in a ROW, You May NEVER GO

A year after my son Andrew graduated from VA Tech with a business degree, we were having dinner. Andrew had “lucked out” and found a job as an executive recruiter. He was working in a classy downtown office building, making good money and reporting to a respected, well-connected, industry icon who was arranging for him to do neat things like work at events with President Obama and Tony Bennett. Not the normal career trajectory.

Yet, I could tell the light had gone out in Andrew's eyes. There was no spark. In fact, he used a word I’d never heard him use before.?Exhausted.

Exhausted?! How could that be? How was it this normally energetic 20-something was feeling burned out? I asked, “Andrew, what’s up?”

He said, “Mom, I want to quit. I'm grateful for this job, but sitting inside all day at a desk making cold calls is not what I want to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

Andrew said with a huge smile,. “I want to start a non-profit.”

I have to admit, a cautious voice I didn’t even know existed in me popped up, perched on the tip of my tongue, and was tempted to say:

“Non-profit?! Do you know how many are going out of business because donations have dried up? How will you pay bills? What about health insurance?”

Thank heaven a wiser voice prevailed that asked, “Isn’t this exactly what 20-somethings ought to be doing at this stage of their life? If Andrew doesn’t go for what he wants?now, he may never get a chance later. Good for him for wanting to do work that matters. His dream deserves to be supported, not shut down.”

So, instead of pointing out all the reasons this might not work, I said, “Andrew, you’ve always been resourceful. If you put your mind to it, I know you can pull this off.”

You may be thinking, “But how could Andrew pull this off? He’d never run a non-profit before. He'd never hired a team. Created a business budget and operational policies. Conducted a fund-raising campaign. He?doesn't know how?to make this a success. He doesn't 'have his ducks in a row.'"

That’s true, and that’s where GTS comes in. GTS stands for Google That Stuff.

Andrew thanked his boss for giving him that job opportunity right out of college – and then promptly got online and Googled “How can I start a non-profit?”

Up came dozens of resources – all telling Andrew exactly what steps he needed to take to move this forward - how to get a license, develop operating procedures, find, interview and train staff, develop a website and get funding.

In the course of one year, Andrew recruited 20(!) interns and found a co-work space at the Affinity Lab in Washington DC. It was an ideal opportunity to be immersed in an encouraging community instead of operating in isolation where he had to provide all his own energy, discipline and work ethic.

For example, the first week he was there, Matt walked by and asked, “Andrew, what are you working on today?”

Andrew said, "I've been trying to get in touch with the Parks and Recreation department but they never answer their phones."

Matt said, "Oh, my friend works there. Here's his number. Tell him I sent you."

Voila. That lead was exactly what Andrew needed to connect with a decision-maker and arrange for a water-sports event at a local lake.

A few weeks later, another colleague walked by and asked for an update.

Andrew said, “I’m applying for a grant, but this paperwork is so complicated."

She said “Oh, we did that last year. You can use our proposal as a template.”

Andrew got the needed funding because of that shortcut and because he was surrounded with colleagues who supported his vision and had his back and front.

The result? Thousands of young people with disabilities have gotten off the sidelines and into the games of life because of?Dreams for Kids-DC (which is now So Kids Soar.) They have hosted Extreme Recess days with the Washington Nationals, Capitals, Wizards, Mystics and United teams, and positively influenced many deserving young people through their Dream Leader programs.

The point?

None of this would have happened if Andrew had waited for his ducks to be in a row. He started moving his ducks forward and THAT led to his success.

What is something you want to launch? Are you hesitating because you haven't done this before and don’t know what to do?

These 5 tips can help you MOVE YOUR DUCKS FORWARD instead of waiting for them to get lined up in a row.

1. What is an IKIGAI project (Japanese for "purpose, reason to get up in the morning") that lights you up just thinking about it? What is something you could achieve or plan that would give you something meaningful to work towards and look forward to?
2. Turn your IKIGAI project a one sentence SEARCH question as in "How do I start a ___?" and put it into your favorite search engine. Up will come dozens of resources and next steps to help you on your way.
3. If you want to FINISH, affiliate. If you try to go it alone, you may run out of discipline. Andrew would be the first person to tell you his nonprofit succeeded because his Affinity Lab colleagues were the wind beneath his entrepreneurial wings. Who will you call/text right now to team up with?
4. Metrics matter. The #1 takeaway of interviewing people for my SOMEDAY is Not a Day in the Week book is, "If it's not on the calendar, it's not getting done." Showing up for a 7 pm class every week keeps your dream front and center vs. it fading into the background. Scheduling a launch date helps you reverse-engineer monthly deliverables so you meet your deadline. What numbers will you attach to this so you can hold yourself accountable for it?
5. Let's party. All work and no play makes your mind say "No way." Many of us are responsible all day, every day. Where's the fun? That's why I recommend clients host a party at a favorite place with people they care about so they can look around, imprint, celebrate and truly enjoy the process and their well-deserved success instead of just getting back to work.

So, the question is, what is something you want to do - but you've been waiting for the right time, for clarity, for support, for more money, for ...whatever?

The Law of Inertia states, "A stationary body tends to stay stationary. A body in motion tends to stay in motion." This Law applies to dream projects too.

GTS a dream project - an Ikigai goal - right now. In minutes, you'll discover a variety of mini-steps you can take to get out of inertia and into action.

Then, follow Jerry Seinfeld advice. He said, "To me, if life boils down to one thing... movement. To live is to keep moving."

What "ducks" will you move forward today to turn your dream into a rewarding reality?