In Your Control

This Week's Summary:

Learned: Small wins

Planning: MOEs

Business idea: Helene recovery

Vet Opp: Survivor benefits

I met: Good people everywhere

Stoic Quote of the Week

We cannot ensure success, but we can deserve it.

-Cato

What I learned this week:

Hard work is hard work, and it is something that we all must do in order to be successful. The problem is no matter what you do, we cannot guarantee success. I can make 1000 sales calls in a week, and nothing says that I will close 10 deals. There is so much in our lives that is out of our control. All we can do in life is drive towards the success we want and increase our probability of success by doing the right thing each and every day. There is no guarantee in life that you will win. You have to ask yourself whether you are doing everything in your power to increase your probability of success to 100%. Doing a lot and working hard is part of it. That is not the solution, though. You can do the minimum and still be successful. It is life’s lottery ticket. There are hundreds of people who are “successful” who didn’t grind it out for years. Along with that is the group of people who put in all the work, in the right places and still don’t succeed. That is the beauty or dilemma of life. You can wake up each and every day and do everything “right” and still never see success and live your life in a struggle to win, scraping dimes together to make a penny. The question you have to ask yourself each day is, what have I done to win or, truthfully, deserve my success? Let’s shift our definition of success a bit. We should all have the big thing: a successful exit, a happy family, a beautiful house, etc. Those are all great, but the larger the measure, the higher the probability of not achieving it. What if you changed your measure of success to something that has a higher probability of success? I’m not talking about lowering your life’s big dreams. I’m talking about your measures. What if your measure of success was that you did something within your control to increase your probability of achieving the big thing? And you did that every day? Then, each day, not only would you increase your probability of achieving the big thing, but you would also accomplish something: wins! Wins feel a lot better than the long struggle. Each day, small victories within your control add up to a happy life and are independent of the big thing. When you get the big thing, you will deserve it. Life is better lived deserving of the win than feeling sorry for yourself because you didn’t win.

Planning thought of the week:

Every plan must have a way to measure progress and success. Most circles refer to these measures as Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs). If you do not have a means to measure the progress or lack thereof, how can you tell if your plan is working? MOEs enable the leadership and team to determine if the plan is working and, where to pile on assets because it is working and where to turn off the faucet. I have seen too many businesses wave their hand and say go do this or that and have no way of determining if it is working. Don’t do that!

Business idea I heard about or thought of:

First, the folks in North Carolina and Tennessee are having a rough time because of the flooding damage caused by Helene. If you can help, either through your personal actions and support or financially, please do.

Here’s the business side. Invest in construction companies, both horizontal and vertical. If you have considered starting a heavy construction business, now is the time! The infrastructure damage is going to take years to build back up. I know the government will issue grants and other low-cost ways of building capital to support the reconstruction of roads, bridges, power grids, etc. If you own a company in that industry, head that way now.

Veteran opportunity of the week:

None of us are getting out of this gig alive, so make sure that your family knows what to do when the time comes. Here is a page with some great insights from the VA and VA benefits for families and caregivers.

Someone I met this week:

You never know when you will talk with someone who sincerely and genuinely wants to help. In my continuing search for manufacturing partners for the Pocket Litter, I speak with many people from all over the country. Some are cordial, some are get to the point, and then there others who are above and beyond helpful and friendly. I have talked to so many small manufacturing firm owners who have provided me with some great insights into how the materials I work with work and the best method for employing certain materials together. All this is not due to the underlying desire to get my interest but to the genuine desire to help me with my project. It is a great reminder that there are amazing people all around us. We have to be open to seeing them.

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