One more step....

Life's a funny thing at times.When I say at times, I really mean often. Funny strange. And funny ha ha too. But definitely strange. Do you ever feel that despite doing all the right things, you just don't get the breaks? It may not be of any consolation, but it happens to us all, and probably more often than most will admit.

This week has already been a rollercoaster ride and it's only Wednesday!

Monday I chased up a contract that should have been in the bag (and the bank!) about a month ago. No news. Nothing I can do to speed it up so it's a waiting game.

Monday I also went to the physio (finally) to get my knee looked at. Not just for the hell of it. That would be weird! I went because I've had to lay off the running due to knee pain. I'm not used to getting anything other than the odd twinge so this is new. And unwelcome.

The good news is that the physio identified the problem. The bad news I have patellar tendonitis and this means another 3 weeks off the road and the only cardio I can do is swimming. Oh joy.

Tuesday I came home from a day on the road seeing potential customers to find water dripping through the kitching ceiling. No sign of anyone so I put the buckets down. Ceiling stayed put - bonus! - but that will be a plumber and associated costs....

Today one of the laptops went pop. No warning, no obvious issues, just checked out, took it's ball away and went home in a sulk. As I write, it's being taken to computer hospital and a new laptop is being sought to replace it. No small expense there then. Although the kids will be grateful to have a hand-me-down to replace the ones they broke/abused/infested with numerous viruses. I'd like to add 'delete as appropriate' but it was all....

However, on a rollercoaster you get as many ups as downs and so the week has been. The upside of the delayed contract is that it hasn't gone away, it's in the ether being signed off by the man with the big pot of cash. This is a good thing..

The knee thing is really annoying but the good news is I have a diagnosis, it'll be treated and I'll know how to avoid it in future.

Yesterday I had a great meeting with a prospect which I know will translate into business and spawn more contacts and additional opportunity.

Last evening I went to watch my eldest son, who is 10 years old, in his end of term play and as usual he left me amazed at this confidence and bursting with pride. He only had one line, but then the I guess the Mayor of Munchkin City never was one for big speeches.... That said, he sang really well. I clearly don't remember the Wizard of Oz particularly well.

Today, having finished the proposal for the above business I took myself off swimming for the first time in I don't know how long. Back in the day I was a competitive swimmer and today reminded me just how long ago back in the day was! But I also know that I'll end up fit and healthier and with luck I may have inadvertently rediscovered a sport about which I was once passionate.

Today I've also discovered some other opportunities with great potential and reconnected with some old friends.

I think overall the week is evening itself out. No matter how bad we may feel about a situation, it can get better. But you have to take one more step. Or you'll never know....

Opportunity Comes in Many Forms... Don't Miss It!

So here we are at 5pm on Friday and work is all but done (in truth I think most people have been done since lunchtime - a bit of sunshine and scrrrrammm....!). It's been a funny week. In a strange sense not ha ha :). Having had an important piece of business delayed and with some other initiatives start to take shape, another extremely interesting opportunity presented itself this week. A bit of a blast from the past from my time in the IT sector, a former colleague came to me with a proposal to work together on a project completely outside of my current scope. There's a lot to be done before making a decision but it got me thinking.....

We talk a lot about the importance of goals and how staying focused on those goal keeps us on track. Most of us have, or maybe should have(?!) a plan of action around what we're doing and what it is we're trying to achieve in the short, medium and long term.

It IS important to keep your eyes on the prize, no doubt about it. But.... Let's make sure we enjoy the journey as well as the accomplishments. What's the point of working flat-out to climb the mountain, only to have nobody to share the view with at the summit? It would be a travesty to achieve all that we thought we wanted, only to find that we've allowed the things that matter to wither on the vine along the way? The danger of being too-long term focused is that despite best intentions, today can  pass us by. That extra 5 minutes with the kids, the missed opportunity to get some fresh air, to call your friends, to do something other than work. As we've said before, what's done is done. You can't get it back.

The 2nd thing that came to mind is that opportunity presents itself in many forms. And that form probably won't be somebody stood there with a dopey grin and a sign round their neck with the word 'Opportunity' written large...

There's often a better, smarter way to achieve our aims but these options can be easily missed if we're operating at 100mph at the expense of everything else. How often have we said 'if only I'd known about that it would have saved all that wasted time'? What are the odds that the better way was trying to flag us down as we blasted by but we were blind to it? I'm thinking pretty high.

This week, it would have been easy to say 'you know, I'm really busy and I don't have time to meet you. This isn't my thing. Maybe another time....'. As it was, I took the time and discovered a potentially lucrative business opportunity to work with someone I know, respect and trust.

Sound judgement, or pure luck, I'm glad I saw it and acted on it, even though it's a clear deviation from my own plan. Sometimes the road zig-zags a little for a good reason....

It should also be said that you have to determine whether the things that appear to be opportunities are merely distractions in disguise and that's where our judgement comes in. Take time to evaluate. Our gut reactions aren't always 100% accurate but they often serve as a very effective early warning system. The joys of being responsible for our own destinies....!

So let's all try to look up once in a while, take in the view and enjoy the ride.

Thanks as ever for stopping by.

PS - And to my US friends, I hope you have a great 4th July celebration!

Not Life or Death. It's More Important than that....!

Whilst watching the BBC football pundits review a World Cup match last night I was struck by the intensity of the debate and it reminded me of the famous Bill Shankly quote:

"Football is not just a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that."

And there was me thinking it's only football....!

Fortunately, very few of us have lives depending on our daily business decisions but wouldn't it be great to be as passionate as the pundits? There's a school of thought that says that to be truly passionate about our business endeavours, our business goals must be in line with not only our personal aims and ambitions but also our core values.

Are we in a position to have a business life that maps on to our personal goals? And our values? Do we know what our goals and values are?

When these things are out of kilter it helps to explain some of the ups and downs and time spent in the doldrums which affect us so often. The bursts of unsustained enthusiasm, the easy distraction from our paths. All could be explained by the lack of cohesion between goals and values.

More than a little food for thought. I could go on about coaching stuff at this point, but I won't. I'm going to think on it a while. Why not do the same?