“Let’s build a fort!”
I hear my 8 year old son, Jesse, yelling to his best friend Dylan.
They are so excited as they whisper and giggle their way upstairs to Jesse’s bedroom.
A few minutes later I make my way upstairs, open the door, and find a pile of pillows and the blanket. Dylan and Jesse are playing Super Smash Bros on the wii.
If you have children in your life, this is a familiar scene. Big plans, little follow through.
Real forts require blueprints, not pillows and blankets, and building one requires follow through. You wouldn’t expect an architect to build a building without thinking it through and having the right tools and supplies. And yet, I wonder, are you expecting your book to get created in the same way Jesse and Dylan planned their fort?
Look up at the building you are in right now – maybe it’s your house or a café or a shopping mall – but wherever you are just imagine the builders of that building trying to create the structure you are in right now with no plans.
Wouldn’t happen, right? I mean I assume you aren’t standing in the woods in a pile of blankets and pillows pretending you are in a fort!
So why are you expecting this 8-year-old approach to work in your business? Why would you expect it to produce a book that would change people’s lives? Why would you expect it to lead to a monthly income that you could use to create the life you want to live?
Dylan and Jesse remind me of so many coaches I know who say they want to write a book or build their business.
They set the intention. Get to their computer. Pile up some metaphorical pillows and blankets. And then get distracted by whatever email or phone call comes through next.
Think about your business for a minute. Are there goals you have for helping people, or spreading your message, or generating income? Do you have an actionable plan to do those things? Do you have the right support people and systems in place? Do you have the right tools and supplies?
If you do, I just want to say, HIGH FIVE! Take a minute to acknowledge how awesome that is! And if you don’t, that’s cool… just make the choice now – do you want to act like an 8 year and expect grown up results. Or are you ready to act like a grown up? The truth is neither choice is wrong. The problem occurs in the struggle between the two realities. And struggle is the product of choosing not to choose.
So Choose!
