Good morning Luckies! It’s been a couple weeks and I missed you all. It’s great to be back in this room.
So this guy right here grew up Jewish. I went to Hebrew School and I was Bar-Mitzvahed. But the reality – for myself and my family – is that we’re way more about the traditions – food, family, guilt – than we are about the religious aspects.
But the mark of the New Year just came, and first of all, whether you celebrated it or not, I want to wish you a Happy and Sweet New Year. Who couldn’t use more Happiness and Sweetness in their life, and even their business.
But the holiday got me thinking. It’s kind of arbitrary. Whether it’s 5779 or 2019, we create this somewhat arbitrary threshold, we cross it, and then we’re in a New Year. Now I get that we humans like to track and measure. And it might be a little weird, and possibly cumbersome, to always be in the same year, forever. But consider that along with the seasons, the calendar creates a cycle.
And there’s an impact to that cycle. And these days, it seems to be accelerating right? Even before the first leaf hits the ground, Halloween candy is on shelves. And about 5 min after you swallow your last bite of turkey you’ll see candy canes in Duane Reade, soon to be chased off the shelves by marshmallow chicks and bunnies.
The point – to which I’ve taken the long way around to get to – is that we often find ourselves reactive to these cycles. And the same can be seen in business. There are seasonal slow downs and ramp ups. There’s the fiscal year, etc.
Today I invite you to take a look at two things. First of all, what are the cycles that occur in your business? And who and what are you reactive to?
And second? I want you to imagine that you’re a surfer. And you need to paddle out away from shore in order to position yourself to ride the perfect wave. And these cycles I’m talking about are the waves coming at you on your way out.
What action can you take today, this week, this month, to rise above and cut through in order to position yourself properly?
There will always be cycles – just like there will always be waves. The question is are you getting caught in the white water? Or paddling on purpose to get to where you want to be?
And if this gets the wheels turning but you’re not quite sure how to stand up on your board let me know. I’m happy to talk more about it.
Surf’s up my friends.
