What I've learned in the past year...
For those of you that didn't catch it on LinkedIn or the local news, last Tuesday marked one year since I started at Favor - and what a year it's been.
In this month's blog, I'm reflecting on the past 365 days and highlighting my most notable takeaways - which are: have a bias for action, control the controllable, and don't forget to have fun. Let's get into it.
Have a bias for action
This has been my biggest lesson learned to date, but it's one I certainly haven't mastered yet. I'm a planner. I like to take time to formulate a plan of attack before "attacking". In many areas of my life, this has served me well. I'm the go-to person for creating itineraries on trips, and I'm rarely unprepared for presentations or meetings. But, this can also be a curse.
While others are in the proverbial arena, I often find myself plotting away, yet to leave the comfort of my Excel spreadsheet. I'm thinking about doing stuff, but I'm not really doing anything. With a small team, you can't waste time agonizing over every small decision. At a certain point, the rubber has to meet the road, and you have to take action.
That's not to say you should approach work or life with reckless abandon, but paralysis by analysis is very real, and can result in never actually doing what you need to do. Succinctly, don't put off until tomorrow what you could take care of today. Check the boxes, cross things off the list, do the work.
Control the controllable
As a former baseball player, this mantra is not new to me, as a large part of the game is out of your control. The same is true of business. There will always be unforeseen circumstances that arise that may knock you off course, but all you can do is focus on how to react and overcome.
Focusing only on what you can control allows you to give your full attention to the task in front of you instead of wasting time sweating minor inconveniences. You give the pitch of your life, and the client still doesn't want to buy. It sucks, but you can either wallow in self-pity, or learn from it and bring your A-game to the next pitch. If you can consistently do the things in your power that lead to success, it's hard to fail long in the long run - even if it doesn't work every time.
Don't forget to have fun
In the world of small business, it's easy to get caught up in all there is to do and approach every minute of every day day with intense, surgeon-like focus (which is often necessary). But every once in a while, it's important to remember to enjoy the ride and have a bit of fun.
Whether it's a big outing or some creativity throughout the day, the ability to let loose a little bit makes the good times better, and the tough times more manageable. For instance, Ben and I always get a good laugh out of re-watching bloopers from our Instagram stories and TikToks (even though I always get it right on the first take). At the end of the day, if you're going to do something difficult, you might as well enjoy it.