It’s the car tire with a slow leak. But since you’re still able to drive on it, you stop every so often and put air in it again. You put on another band-aid and keep going.
You keep meaning to fix the problem. “I’ll do it next week,” you tell yourself. But let’s be honest and admit it’s not going to happen. Not yet, at least.
Because it’s not quite bad enough for you to stop and fix the problem.
I try to clean up the kitchen after dinner. Most of the time I finish everything up, but some days I get 80% done, run out of steam, and can’t seem to finish the job. It’s time for a break. (Yes, I know how silly this sounds.)
Then wife comes along and, only seeing a few pans in the sink, washes them and starts the dishwasher. Alley-oop.
Think of how a basketball player throwing the ball at the basket as a pass to his teammate who jumps, catches the ball, and immediately dunks it. This is an alley-oop.
Wife has her own tasks she can’t quite complete in one sitting. This is my cue to tag her out and make the shot.
Is this lazy, efficient, or somewhere in between?
Did you know mindset determines success? There are two types described in the book Mindset: fixed and growth. Fixed mindset people believe you are either naturally gifted or helpless at doing things. Growth mindset people believe they can become skilled at anything if they work hard enough.
The long term results of a man with a fixed mindset are huge. He feels attacked and will become defensive if you insult his “natural” abilities. He is more likely to cover up any flaws in his skills. He is more likely to avoid new things because of the high risk for failure. If he fails at something he is naturally gifted at, what is he then?
I’ve been reading a bunch of marketing books lately in an effort to better understand what special services wife and I are able to offer the world: our unique selling proposition. When we first started this discovery process, though, it was overwhelming.
It has taken many months to grasp what makes us unique. Now we’re realizing we do have a USP, and we can add tremendous value to small businesses.
Have you thought about your unique selling proposition? What is it? Share your USP as a comment.
I don’t care at all where you are in life right now. I’m much more concerned with where you used to be. And much more importantly, where you are going.
You could be on top of the world and successful by any measure. You could have money in the bank, a great career, a great wife, and bulging muscles.
But if you’re not growing, you have a huge problem.
