... continued fromCover
read. Life is a swiftly moving river; if you’re not rowing, you’re going backward. And I’m not saying I’m immune to this particular mind trap, either! However, when I hear myself say/think, “This is the way we’ve always done it,” I’m pretty good at pumping the brakes in my own mind and holding myself accountable to listen to what’s being said/read and take it in without judgment. Of course, sometimes it’s right to make a change, and sometimes it’s not. But we’ll never know if we don’t stay open to the possibilities. Here’s a good example. My assistant was getting buried in emails this last year. So, I told her about a new integration a friend of mine had recommended to help speed through your inbox. She balked at first, saying, “From everything I’m reading, it sounds like this does everything our current system can do. There’s no need.” But after a couple more months went by and her inbox wasn’t getting any lighter, she finally tried out the new system. And I laughed as she came into my office with stars in her eyes the next day and cheerfully exclaimed, “I was wrong! This thing is awesome! Best investment you’ve ever made! I’m never going back.” Here’s the point: There are always new innovations! They’re not always right for us, and we definitely want to stay away from shiny object syndrome. But if there’s something out there that can actually move the needle, save time, propel me toward my goals, and/or make life easier so I can spend more time on other things, I want to know about it!
a year to focus on my long-term goals and ask myself, “Is what I’m doing now going to get me there?” If the answer is no, more times than not, that’s my cue to reprioritize and make some changes. At the end of the day, the majority of our time should be spent on the things that push us toward our goals. If we allow ourselves to constantly get distracted by the little fires, we’re cutting the legs out from under our own growth. Other people’s crises are not always our crises. Except in very rare cases, we need to save a portion of our day to work on the things that will matter in the long run. For me, that time is in the morning. The early a.m. is my most important working space. That’s when I focus without disruption on doing the things that may not be the “sexiest” on my task list, but they need to get done. There’s an old idiom most of us have heard more times than we can count: We need to “eat the frog.” And that’s true. Having scheduled, uninterrupted time to work on things that are important and not necessarily urgent is one of the fastest ways to make sure we’re continuing to grow. Be Open to New Possibilities One thing I run into a lot when speaking with potential clients is this dreaded phrase: “We’ve never done ________ before, and we’re still doing just fine. And we’ve been in business for 20 years!” Look, stagnation kills. All the experts know it. It’s preached in almost every business or self-help book you
Lastly, I just want to end with gratitude. As we move forward this year, I can’t help but
think back over the last two years. It’s been a wild ride! But through it all, I am grateful for my health, my family, and my team who has wholeheartedly stepped up to the plate and
swung for the fences! And for you. Thanks for reading. Thanks for sharing. And thanks for reaching out and sharing your own stories with me. Here’s to all of our success.
Happy New Year! –Shaun
2
www.newsletterpro.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator