Have you ever been lost? Has your GPS taken you to the wrong address only to find out later that you put in the wrong address? It can happen on a bigger scale too. Have you ever woken up, looked around and thought – how did I get here?
For me, one clue as to whether or not I’m moving in the right direction is in my reading pile. My nightstand, desk and dining room table are almost always piled high with various books. Whatever I’m reading, I tend to move towards.
What are you reading? Tell me what you’re reading and I’ll tell you where you’re going next.
This weekend was a rare one for me. I had two appointments – one with God and the other with myself. I kept both of them.
I don’t know about you but, I’m more convinced than ever that this thing we call “life” is real work and for those who experience any kind of success, well, they planned it that way.
I was with a friend of mine listening to my colleague and moonlighting jazz singer, Betsy Ezell, perform at Crescendo Coffee House on a recent Saturday night. I started taking pictures right after we sat down at the bar stools along the counter. He looked at me taking pictures while we waited for chai lattes and said, “Do you always work?” Followed by, “What do you do for fun?” And then, “What is success?” Rapid fire questions and a bit off-putting but I’m game for a good conversation.
Now for the record, Betsy’s taken plenty of pictures of me so it was my turn to be the one behind the lens.
- No, I don’t always work but often times my play and my work intersect. That’s a good thing.
- What do I do for fun? I work. Half kidding – half not. I do but with my friends and usually I’m pretty missional. If we’re doing something for the betterment of those around us, I’m generally having a good time, even if it’s super hard work. I also swim like a fish and I’m starting tennis lessons, which will be fun. I wish I had the opportunity to dance more often but when I do, it’s really fun. I play music in a band on Sundays and sometimes at Rotary. That’s most definitely work but it’s also a ton of fun when we all come together.
- Last but not least, what is success? I asked him back,“What do you think it is?” He said, “It depends upon the person. Some say it’s about possessing things – a nice home, a car, vacations for the family. Other people say it’s about relationships. Still others say it’s about finding meaning and making sense of it all.”
In a recent “Your Move” podcast with Andy Stanley, he said “Success for some people means pursuing things but I’ve never heard anyone say on their deathbed, “Will you please bring me those stilettos I loved? Or, can you put my car right outside my window?” No, they always ask for a specific person – their wife, their best friend, their sister, their pastor. Success is about “who” instead of about “what”.
And yet, how do we spend our time? Much of it is spent pursuing things or experiences, but when was the last time you heard someone say, “I want deeper friendships, more intimacy with my significant other and to hear my dad’s stories before he’s gone.” When I’m at work, I mostly hear, “I need to raise $1 million or $3 million dollars.” “I need to grow my company by 20%.” “I need to get more awareness for my brand.”
“I’ve never heard anyone say on their death bed, “Will you please bring me those stilettos I loved? Or, can you put my car right outside my window?” – Andy Stanley
A number of current thought leaders are taking into consideration if we take care of what’s most important – think Stephen Covey’s Habit #3 “First Things First” – that everything after that comes easier.
Stopping the Drift
I did this in June when I started reading Michael Hyatt’s book, “Living Forward”. He writes, “You don’t have to drift through your life but can instead design a life you love and “live forward.” The most intriguing part for me (as suggested in the book) was when I asked my children if I died today, how would they describe me. I got an answer I was pleased with but I suppose it could have went either way. Still, it’s good to know. We spend very little time planning and a lot of time doing. Being intentional about where we want to end up lines up very well with actually getting to where we intend to go.
Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Which leads me to the book “Deep Work” by Cal Newport. I heard Cal on James Altucher’s podcast. This episode was appropriately called, Become so good you can’t be ignored. How do you become good? Deep work. What’s in the way of you doing deep work? Distractions like email, FB, Linked In, TV, video games and anything else you can get on your phone. If you have the ability to go deep though, you can do great things. All the great thinkers, artists, performers, community change agents and business thought leaders spend time alone, writing and thinking.
I struggle with doing deep work and yet, when my brain does this kind of work, I feel better. Whether it’s writing a client’s marketing plan or thinking through a complex problem, it’s rewarding when it’s finished. Doing this kind of work during normal business hours has become increasingly harder, and it’s been that way for a decade or more. My best times to work uninterrupted and focused are before anyone arrives, quiet afternoons in the summers and early evenings at the office. When I have a major proposal due or a speech to work on, I generally do that work at home with no music or sound, just me, my research and my words. That may be true for you too. Working at work means collaborating with others more often than not and our constantly plugged in world demands a response time that is unprecedented in our history.
How I spent my weekend.
With that, I spent my weekend reading books, thinking and planning. I didn’t turn on the TV. I did listen to a couple of podcasts. I ran some errands and went to church but mostly, I just took it all in. How often do I do this? Not nearly often enough. It’s not easy, but it’s not easy coasting through life either. Doing the hard thing repeatedly pays good dividends.
Like my piano lessons. I blew off theory for the most part when I was taking lessons as a child. I started performing in junior high and really didn’t go back to theory. The consequence now is that I don’t understand what I’m playing or the many mathematical ways of organizing the music that would actually make playing much easier. So I hired a tutor a year ago to teach me theory AND strengthen my performance skills. For the last two weeks, we haven’t really played much at all but I do have a thorough understanding of major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. These have parallels to life too in terms of what they do and how they sound. Ask any conductor what would happen with the orchestra if there was no score and he simply said, “play.” It requires countless hours of disciplined rehearsal and a score to play magnificently and this is what I want in life too. To get there, deep work in a world that begs for my attention every day, is essential.
Part of this deep work is because we’re doing another #180in120 at The Creative Company, Inc. Part of it is because as I move through the end of this decade of my life, I sense time passing at a faster pace. Being recognized by the Governor earlier this year with a lifetime achievement award really made me sit back and think – wow, I feel like I’m just getting started but the reality is, the best is yet to come but the clock is ticking both personally and professionally.
Starting now through the end of January, I’ll be writing about what happens as we work together towards reaching new goals.
“Today is the day. We only get one.”
Sales are up 11% year over year, profit is up slightly and we’ve kept expenses in line. We’ve also given away $55K in services so far this year to area non-profits. What comes in, goes out and then we need to bring it in again. We will finish strong this year. However, to pay down our debt and grow exponentially will take more thinking and planning time. As I’m fond of saying, “Today is the day. We only get one.” I don’t want to waste a minute.
First up is a new website and branding for the agency. They will launch by the end of October. We’ve landed a few new retainer agreements and are in the midst of on-boarding them. We’ve had virtually no turnover in 14 months. (One part-time employee left in May.) People hang out with each other even when they don’t have to meaning, outside of work, so we all get along well. Management Consultant Patrick Lencioni says “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” So we’re in good shape there. And, we added a photography and video department, invested in backdrops and lights and lenses and plan to capture the cost of that investment within 6 months of acquisition.
We’re also launching a web portal for consulting that will allow more choices for people from around the globe to connect and work with myself and others at The Creative Company. Before I do though, I’m going through the steps in yet another book Will it fly? by Pat Flynn. I like to fly – but not without a net. Books, my network, colleagues and close advisors are my net.
“I don’t give up easily.”
I’m also reading a book called Grit about passion and perseverance. Somebody asked recently how I achieved the mile marker of being in business for more than 25 years and I said, “I don’t give up easily.” It’s not because I’m more talented or did better in school than the average person. I’m not and I didn’t. I had grit. I had the ability to stay the course and enough resources to always go one more day. That’s all, which means you can do it too. I think that’s one of the most baffling things about being on my team. Regardless of how experienced or inexperienced, I always set the bar high. Why? Because I’ve achieved so much more than I ever thought possible and if I did it, you can too.
Our involvement with the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City is fueling some of this change. A few months ago on what was an otherwise ordinary day, I received a phone call from this organization. Earlier in the year, I decided to apply and Creative Company was approved and certified by the State of Wisconsin as a Women Owned Business. This was a good decision in part because of the referral to ICIC. A month ago, I had the chance to spend an entire day with other entrepreneurs and business owners from Wisconsin. Most were from Milwaukee. 73% were minority and 23% were women. Average sales: $2 million a year. We were schooled on everything from how an angel investor thinks (5X the ROI is required) to how to position your company for success. Who taught us? The best of the best. Two Harvard business school professors (one who founded ICIC) and a professor from Northwestern who talked about data and how to use it to understand your customer. Through this program, I’ll receive 40 hours of executive training for free over the next few months and a personal coach. This program is also happening in Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Worcester.
ICCC Alumni have created over 11,000 jobs and secured more than $1.3 billion in capital. On average, alumni also experience a 56% increase in employment and a 23% increase in revenue CAGR, according to their website. This is encouraging for me on so many levels. In no small part due to the fact that this program is also free, paid for by sponsors and the City of Milwaukee and it links me arm and arm with other entrepreneurs in this region.
It’s an exciting time to be alive and doing this kind of work. I have been given the responsibility and the opportunity to create jobs and make a difference through meaningful work. That means I’m one of the lucky ones. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you are too.
So what will you do next with your one and only incredible life?
Write and share your story with me or post in the comments below. I’ll also answer any questions you have to the best of my ability – time permitting – completely for free by emailing me at laura@thecreativecompany.com or by messaging me on Linked In. You can also follow me on Twitter @creativecompany or follow me on Linked In.
#180in120 – The Choice is Yours – What will you do with the next 120 days?