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Is Your Business Puzzle Missing a Piece?

February 8, 2010

: Image via Wikipedia

I need a press release

I was told I need to be on Facebook

We need someone to create tweets for us

and so it goes…

One piece of a much larger puzzle, offered as the answer by a well meaning advisor, expert or friend, or taken out of context from a book, presentation or speech. Tactics offered up without an accompanying strategy served up like a gourmet meal that has only appetizers and no main course.

The problem with pieces is that you need all of them to get a full picture.

We have become spoiled. Information is widely accessible and often free. As a result we have been lulled into a false sense of confidence that specialized expertise no longer matters. We have the pieces of the puzzle, and we can put them together on our own. Who needs a PR professional when you can write or buy a press release? Hire a web designer- pshaw! We’ve got Wordpress! Pay fair value for writers ? Of course not, we have article directories and PLR content.

But just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Having the pieces is only one part of the equation. A puzzle master will have a strategy for how they all fit together. He or she will assemble the right pieces, faster and better than you can do on your own. Specialized expertise is not a waste, it is actually a more cost efficient method of achieving your goals.

Being an expert in your own business will require you to strategically choose how you spend your time. If you are bootstrapping a new business you will need to get creative and do some things on your own. However, you cannot remain a bootstrapper for the lifecycle of your business. At some point, to grow and take your business to the next level you will need to hire skills that you do not possess.

In the short term, you may save money by figuring things out on your own but what will you have sacrificed in the process?

Specialists invest in their ongoing education. They hang out with other specialists to learn and grow. They have inside knowledge and competitive information. When you hire a specialist you are paying not only for skill but their contacts, database of knowledge, hard won lessons, shortcuts, tips and more.

I realize that we are living in leaner times. You cannot hire a specialist for every business process but you should consider it for mission critical tasks. Weigh your upfront investment against the return and you may also conclude that it’s cheaper to hire someone who can take the right pieces and make a whole picture that is just right for your business.

Do you hire specialized expertise or have you gone the do-it-yourself route? Why or why not?

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Smacking Down Resistance to Embrace Opportunity

February 1, 2010

: Image by EssjayNZ via Flickr

You come to the blank page with a plan and determination to see it through. Yet, every word seems jumbled and unclear. You do more deleting than writing and then sit back in frustration. The words that you do not want, the story you do not want to tell grabs at you forcing to pay attention. You resist, angrily plunging ahead with the plan but the story refuses to let go. Fragments and snippets force itself onto the page, it beckons you in the dead of night from peaceful slumber. It is persistent, and innocuous to your rejection. It beckons you, weaving its magical spell of words around you. It stalks you with haughtiness knowing that your resistance is wearing down. You swat it away with your arsenal of weaponry – no time, no fun, I can’t write/do/be that! – until the day exhausted from the battle you can no longer turn away. You exhale deeply and give in to the cacophony of words begging to be assembled into a harmonious sound. It is time to come to the page and tell the story, the one you’re really supposed to tell.

And so it was for me. The story I did not want to tell stubbornly refused to budge, immune to my resistance. It invaded my space and spoke to me from the voice of others like a post from Joanna Young that urged me to “ Make time for the story you really need to tell and talk of ” lizard brains” and resistance from Seth Godin.

There was nothing left to do but oppose the resistance. So with a weary sigh I have given in and have started writing the words that tell that story.

You do not have to be a writer to understand resistance. Your blank page could be a job or life event. “Lizard brain” is common to us all. Resistance and it’s cousin Fear try to keep you in the brown box that fits exactly right on the conveyor belt that leads to new day, same thing.

However, when we look resistance squarely in the eye and do the opposite we find ourselves exactly where we should be, and that is pretty awesome.

How do you handle resistance?

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Unleash Your Passion for a Perfect Performance

January 25, 2010

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The day was crisp and cool, a perfect run day. I pushed off and soon fell into a gentle rhythm. The wind bit my cheeks and I reveled in the sensation of my body awakening to the adrenalin coursing through my body. Today, there were no training notes running through my head – watch your knees, breathe from the belly, check watch, adjust speed. Today, there was no thought of fartleks, tempo runs, pace per mile or negative splits. This one was just for me. I breathed deeply and enjoyed the rhythm of my sneakers and the soft sound of wind. As I warmed, I picked up the pace, celebrating the power in my legs. Nothing else mattered on that run but to simply feel and enjoy. When I finally turned back, I was breathing harder and drenched in sweat. I was giddy and could have danced the last few yards but instead turned it up and sprinted in feeling like a gazelle, although I am certain I resembled a middle aged woman with a crazed expression on her face.

Later that evening watching the US Figure Skating Championships I thought about my earlier run. The most enjoyable performances were those where technical acuity was matched by pure unadulterated passion. I watched Jeremy Abbott’s face as he skated flawlessly, his body gliding through the air effortlessly. Yes, he was skating for a medal but he was also skating for the sheer love of sport. His face was not a mask of studied indifference but laid bare revealing an unabashed joy. The raw passion so evident that you felt you had stumbled into a private moment and should quietly back away.

There is something profound about giving yourself over completely to passion. Becoming one with the moment and completely going for it, uncensored, and having a blast.

It makes me wonder why we pull the curtain down on our best selves in our day to day life. Why are we so afraid to just go for it in our work and in our lives? How much better would work life be if we let others see us exercise our gifts and talents with pure joy?

Jeremy Abbott prepared, planned and practiced but in that moment he stepped into the moment and went for it, fearless and passionate. The result was a spot on perfect performance that moved the audience to tears.

Prepare, plan and practice but when it’s your moment lean in, feel the passion and go for it!

How about you, ever go for it without worrying about the results?

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Why?

January 21, 2010

: Image by 姒儿喵喵 via Flickr

Why?

Why can’t you see past who you are to who you could be?

Why is your vision enslaved to a past that you cannot change?

Why can’t you

Take the vacation of your dreams

Design your own lifestyle

Start your own business

Go after the job you want

Break the rules and do it your way

Try without worrying about the results

Do that thing that scares you silly

Take a big leap of faith even if you fall

Why?

Your answers may differ but I guarantee your why’s can be solved with a s single word – Believe.

So again I ask, why can’t you

BELIEVE in YOU?

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The Gift of Written Language

January 19, 2010

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I attended a missions conference last week and the guest speaker was an Engineer serving as a Bible translator. As a lover of words and people, I was rapt with attention as he shared stories of both. To translate a language, you must have an alphabet, the building block of the written word. Many languages do not have an alphabet so translators must work with native speakers to define letters and words.

Language is our identity, our heritage. Having a language that can be written enables us to share and pass down our history and stories. We can educate and learn because we have language.

Those who do not possess this wonderful gift proudly embrace the opportunity to own their language by writing it. My eyes teared up at photos of happy faces now able to pass on their stories through the written word.

We take so much for granted in literate nations. We complain about reading and writing. We are lazy and sloppy in our communications. We opt out of mastery of our own languages because we don’t like it or don’t believe we have a natural talent for it.

Perhaps its time to rethink the written word and make more of an effort to honor this gift.

What do you think? Are basic writing skills important?

Resources:

199 Ways to Write with Confidence – In this book, Joanna Young has compiled the best of her writing wisdom from her blog, Confident Writing. I bought the book as soon as it was published and it sits on my shelf for quick reference. This is not an affiliate link, just a good old fashioned recommendation for a great resource.