Where Are You ‘Out Of Order’?

“I can’t do that.” “That scares me.”

How often do you catch yourself saying these things?

Nobody can escape these questions from popping up from time to time. The best we can hope to do is know what to do when they do pop up.

These statements we make – either to ourselves or to others – are valuable signal informing us that something is out of order.

To which we get to ask ourselves, “What must I get ‘in order’?” Perhaps I could do it if: <

• “If my finances were in order and I knew what I could invest to make that happen / make that problem go away.” Your work benefits when you know what you can invest in it. Your opportunity benefits when you know what you can commit to and what you shouldn’t. There’s no “can’t” or “scared” when you know, there is only an informed “will” or “won’t”.
• “If my home was in order and I could make the time to invest in this new thing.” Your work benefits when you know you have the support of your family. Your opportunity suffers if ‘opportunity’ becomes ‘an argument waiting to happen’. There’s no “can’t” or “scared” when home is in order, only a unified advance toward opportunities that matter.
• “If my business was in order so I’m not stuck grinding on the wrong things.” The vision you’re building toward benefits when you’re doing the right work. For instance, if you’re in Ops, focusing on building amazing service systems rather than putting out customer support fires helps the company grow. Or if you’re the CEO, focusing on leading a strong culture toward what’s next produces a stronger company than if you’re “Chief Firefighter”.

If you’re in business for reasons beyond the dollar alone, if you’re trying to make a difference, you’ve a responsibility to overcome “can’t” and “scared”. When these things emerge, remember to ask, “What must I get ‘in order’?”