I can’t believe we’re already into March. I looked outside my office window the other day and noticed that the branches on the bare trees were starting to look a little fatter. That’s always my first clue that spring is on its way. Spring is by far my favorite season. I love to watch the earth come to life after the cold winter. The trees get thicker, then there’s a hint of color – depending on the tree either it’s a shade of green or red. Then the flowers start to bloom, and life returns.
I’m writing this note to you from an airplane. I’m headed to Myrtle Beach. I’ve been on the road a lot lately. Two weeks ago, I drove to Vermont to visit Eric, this past weekend I drove to Pittsburgh to be with a college friend whose daughter celebrated her bat mitzvah. The picture included here is of me and Lori. And now, I’m heading to Myrtle Beach, I am a lead coach in a large group coaching program and we’re having a group retreat there. I totaled up the miles I drove over the past two weeks … 1,750 miles! I borrowed a few good books from the library to listen to, they made the miles go by much quicker.
When Saying Yes is Good
In addition to the books I listened to over these past few weeks I had a lot of time to think. One thing that came to mind for me was how important saying yes can be. I don’t particularly love long drives, and yet I found myself driving close to 2000 miles on my own. Paul couldn’t join me for either trip, I had a choice – go alone or say no. Frankly, it made sense for me to say no. Nobody would have thought less of me. Neither trip was convenient, and I had a lot of other things going on.
You probably know I’m a huge fan of saying no. I know that when you say no to one thing you give yourself permission to say yes to something else. The converse is true too, when you say yes to one thing, that means you must say no to something else. In order for me to say yes to these two personal trips, and the business trip I was committed to, it would mean saying no to a lot of things.
To help me decide what to do I asked myself a few questions… of all the things I had to and needed to do, including three days on a business trip, what was more important to me? What would I regret not doing? Not having spent time with my son, and college friend, or not getting the work that needed to be done. I asked myself if there were other ways for me to get the work done. To work my schedule so that I could shift my client load around. When I decided to say yes, I knew it wouldn’t be easy, and there would be things that would go undone. And here I am on the other side of the pleasure travel, and in the middle of the business travel, and I’m so glad I did it. I got to watch my son do a radio show. I got to see Lori and her daughter, and the life they have built for themselves in Pittsburgh. Those are the things that I would regret.
I built my business so that I could have the freedom and flexibility to make these types of decisions. So here’s my question to you. Why did you build your business? We are all different. You probably didn’t go into business for the same reasons I did. Now, when it comes to making tough decisions go back to your personal goals to help you decide what you want to do.
What are your goals? What helps you make decisions? Share your thoughts with me in the comments section below.
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