Let It Go

This is a big week for the Gustin family. My management consulting days are dwindling into single digits, we celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary as well as the fall equinox, and a new moon graced the sky. What a great time to reset intentions and set goals for the next few months!

One thing I've been struggling with this summer is the ability to cross something off my list and be done with it. I have gotten really good at procrastinating - I can fabricate a valid reason to justify putting off doing anything I am not 100% inspired by. Lately it's been hitting the send button, figuratively and literally. I'm not sure if it's my internal pursuit of "perfection" that is holding me back, but there are a lot of things I have been transferring from one list onto another each week. I work on it, but it's not quite ready, or I just don't feel like it's the exact message I want to send, or I get nervous about how others are going to perceive something - so I just put it on the back burner and expect that I will have an epiphany and find the right words. I know this is slowing me down, so I am making a concerted effort to dial back my expectations and be content with "good enough."

There are only so many times I can read a press release and find ways to improve it before the editing becomes a marginal use of my time. First impressions are critically important, but if it's just an email I should find a way to keep it simple and send a clear but concise introductory message. Letting an idea marinate for another 24 hours will not provide enough additional creative content to justify putting off the phone call another day.

Any time I waver about getting something accomplished enough that I could cross it off my list, I am going to give myself another 15 minutes to agonize over it and then let it go and move on to other things. We'll see how this goes...

Reluctantly Crouched at the Starting Line

I have reluctantly been forced to acknowledge the waning of Summer. Dusk is settling earlier each day, and this morning when Bosco and I stepped out for our morning jog there was barely light in the sky and I wished I had long sleeves on. Of course, by the time we looped back around to the driveway the sun was up and the chill had vanished, but it's only a matter of weeks before I will need to find a way to motivate myself out of bed in total darkness.

Generally the first signs of fall thrill me, but this summer has been such an intense time of transition that I am not quite ready to let it go. It has been the beginning of a new stage in my life that I want to honor. I think I am also reticent because the end of my first quarter means that this business is going to start ramping-up for real, and the quiet-strategic-planning time I have thus far invested will need to morph into put-everything-on-the-line time networking and promoting my services.

Out of all of the exciting aspects of starting out on my own, I have been the most nervous at the prospect of accepting full responsibility for sales. I have never had a gift for talking people into things - I have always been more of a listener. The challenge from here on will be to leverage everything I gather listening to potential clients and build strong professional relationships. I need to remember that ultimately my goal is to provide services that support their goals, and I am not trying to "sell" them anything that does not add value to their organization.

Perhaps we will have an extended autumn season this year, and I can make myself take time to relish this beautiful place in which we live while I slowly ease into the pressure of business development.