How I Decided to Fire Myself

About 12 years ago I was part of a business opportunity for women that’s well-known in the United States. It had been a goal of mine to try  this business since I had been about 10 years old. I found the nearest director with whom I could partner, Chris and I made an investment to start my business, and I got to work. It was rewarding using my gifts to build a business and empower women. In a short amount of time, I built a team across three states and earned a car. (Ever the practical person, I took the cash option, however. ) I had become part of a network of excellent business women and was challenged  to develop as a leader in ways I’d never experienced before.

But then something happened: I became better acquainted with myself. 

• I learned that I was not interested in working in an organization that employed and served women exclusively.
• I discovered that I perform best in the mornings (and this business focused almost exclusively around evening events).
• It became clear that my work day is optimized in an office setting with other leaders instead of working at home, alone.
• I realized that money (which was the primary reward for my business expansion) did not motivate me.

Knowing all of this in my early 20′s was a blessing, but I felt I had no options to make a change. The opportunity came a few months later when I noticed work habits of my direct leader in the organization that didn’t jive with my values. She was not behaving in an immoral way, but I realized that being associated with her team meant others assumed I operated the same way she did. I identified this as an opportunity to differentiate myself, and kept going. Then my leader confronted me for slowing down my work schedule during a difficult pregnancy. A few other awkward and eye-opening conversations came to pass and I realized I’d made a mistake.

Here’s the important part: The error was not in beginning the business but in the way I began it. You’ll see above that I said I found the nearest director to me and dove in. I did no research. My decision points were simply location and immediacy – a short-sighted error that ended up affecting my entire business and experience.

There was only one way out: to fire myself. Taking those four points above which I’d learned about myself those few years and combining that knowledge with my all-too-quick business decision meant it was time for me to walk away. I cherish all the things I learned during those years and value the self-discovery the opportunity gave me, but I hope to never forget the lesson of acting too quickly and winding up needing to fire myself.

Are you in a situation in which it’s time to face the music? Maybe you’re performing well but not operating out of your strengths. Perhaps you’ve signed on to support something that doesn’t line up with your values. It could very well be time to fire yourself.

How to Optimize Your Decision Making Process

When’s your optimal decision making time? Is it now, in the morning, or even later, perhaps? Determining if a decision requires immediate attention and whether you’re in the right frame of mind to respond can save you loads of future frustration.

Sometimes we can’t wait to make decision. There’s a queue behind you of people with their money out ready to pay, and you can’t decide whether you want bargain meal #3 or #2. Choose one and move on. No biggie, right?

At other times, we can actually wait to make a decision. But living in today’s fast-paced world leads us to think some things are an emergency of sorts or at the very least in need of immediate direction.

Don’t believe me? Let me give you a few personal examples to ponder.

1. Delayed Decision: Our family began renting a home 9 months ago when we moved to Oklahoma. It was a 6 month lease. We gave ourselves a deadline of December 1 to determine whether we’d stay in the home, even though we weren’t necessarily wanting to. Chris and I agreed that, when December 1 arrived, if we had no viable opportunities of homes to buy (we were unwilling to move into another rental) we would stay put. Not only did we not find a home that we felt would be the right fit for our family, but (as you can imagine) the holidays were a busy enough time that we agreed it would be best for our family to extend our lease another 6 months. By choosing to extend the lease, we didn’t land on a final solution but prevented rushing into one we’d regret.
2. Too-Quick Decision: Recently we were invited to take part in something on the weekend. Chris called to inform me of it on a Monday morning when I was at work experiencing bright, sunny skies and rainbows. (I love mornings, and I love my job, so this is only a slight exaggeration.) I made the mistake of applying that moment’s euphoria to the invitation and agreed to participate in the weekend event. The problem? I had time to think, but didn’t use it. You see, our family has to defend our weekends carefully because my husband travels for work every week and weekends are our key time together. I was still experiencing my relaxed weekend “high” when the invitation arrived and had forgotten to consider that the biggest personal struggle I’m facing right now is having enough time alone for myself and with my family. Needless to say, the weekend busyness made for regret on my part for having made a rash decision.

So is there a secret formula to making decisions? Some say so. I don’t know about that, but here are some questions I’ve identified to ask myself the next time I’m faced with a decision whose answer is not clear:

• Do I have to decide today? (When is a final decision needed?)
• Am I too overwhelmed or tired at the moment to make this decision well?
• Whom will this decision directly affect?
• What do I need to say no to in order to take this opportunity?
• Am I stretching my resources of time or money too far by saying yes?

Now I’m tossing this idea to you. What’s your approach to making the best decisions possible?

The Morning Routine: Review & Correct for a Great Day

I think having a good morning routine can positively affect an entire day. Apart from receiving productive feedback, the only way I’ve improved at anything is to review my actions and correct them as needed.

* When I trained to run a half marathon, I made notes of which foods best fueled me.
* At work, I’m currently undergoing a review process to look at the projects I’ve taken part in this year, what I learned, and where I can improve.
* If I’m frustrated by the time I arrive at my desk in the office on any given morning, I stop to review what’s happened to put me out of sorts.

No matter whether you work in an office with others or alone or if you spend your day in a delivery truck or caring for little ones: we all experience morning every day.

So, how was the start to your day? Grouchy, happy, filled with excitement, or rushed? I’ve experience all types of mornings, and I’m sure you have, too. If you’d like to nearly guarantee a lovely and simple start to your day, take a few minutes to review around 9:00am or 10:00am and ask yourself these questions:

1) What made my day start (not so) well?
2) Did I forget to do anything last night or this morning?
3) Am I hungry or tired?

The answers to these questions will help you determine whether you need to pack your lunch the night before, get to sleep 30 minutes earlier, keep a healthy snack in your desk drawer (I prefer pistachios or almonds), set your clothes out in advance, or establish a place near the back door of your home to put all the items you need to accompany you when you leave in the morning.

Last week I stayed up too late one evening and once forgot to replenish my mid-morning snack.The results weren’t awful, of course, but taking stock of where I went wrong helped me commit to correcting my actions for a better following day.

What is of necessity to you to help your morning routine benefit the rest of your day?

FOR FURTHER READING ON THIS TOPIC:

12 Ways to Maximize Your Mornings

Minimize Morning Stress in 20 Magic Minutes