Saying No to the Right Things
A couple months ago, I was talking to my boss about how busy things were, and that it was sometimes overwhelming to keep up with it all. It’s a good problem to have when you’re in sales, of course. But still.He listened as I went on about the new initiative we are spearheading in a new market segment. We could really use some help from business development, but everyone is already tasked. He knew he couldn’t provide any help right now.After I asked again, he responded. “You know the Steve Jobs quote, right?” (Um…which one?)
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”
Without missing a beat, I responded, “this isn’t the one to say no to.”
Choose wisely
I understood what he was asking. Was this new initiative needed when there was so much else to do? I explained to him why the timing was important, to catch big changes going on in the market and ensure that we are part of the solution when the changes happen.
He understood, and we moved on to how to tackle the problem with limited resources. This is something my company is good at. When you are small, you can be agile. But you have to be smart about what you spend time on.
Many avocations
It is one thing to choose where to focus in my work. It is quite another to balance the many different areas of my personal life. Here are a few things I do outside of work:
write books,
swing dance,
sing in an a cappella choral group, Master Singers of Virginia msva.org,
write scripts and produce concerts for MSVA,
write this blog and Facebook postings for my book,
query agents,
study jazz vocal performance and perform at various gigs and open mics,
practice yoga,
spend time with family and friends.
And I like to read, and watch some television, and occasionally sleep.
As you can imagine, I can’t do all of these things all the time. There are simply not enough hours in a day.
Master of None
I find that when I spread myself too thin, I excel at nothing. It’s a problem. I love all the things I do, and I love being good at what I do. Choosing where to focus my time and energy and enthusiasm is a challenge.
I have friends who focus on perfecting their craft at jazz singing. They are getting better all the time, and getting hired to perform at their own or shared gigs. I love seeing their progress, and am a little jealous that they have passed me up in their mastery of the art. Not enough to stop doing the other things I’m passionate about, however. I still take workshops and sing whenever I have the chance. But I don’t have the time to devote to jazz every day. I choose other areas to focus on for now. Coming to accept that has been a process for me.
Back in the game
So, recognizing that work was extremely busy, and my other activities required time this fall and over the holidays, I took a break from my blog. But it was difficult to stay silent. I now feel compelled to get back to it. So much is happening in the world right now that I want to respond to. Some of it I was resisting. But I will tell my stories. Stay tuned.