Talisman Thinking Out Loud

Hi Barbara–

NOTE: This will NOT be a political newsletter post, but I will use a political event to frame what I want to talk about. In the US, we just had a very surprising presidential election. The mood here is somewhat like Brexit. Some people woke up feeling betrayed and others feel vindicated.

Friends of mine that I admire and trust their judgment voted for both of the candidates in question. People reported feeling lost afterwards, adrift. Several felt afraid for various reasons (like Brexit, a lot of hate speech has surfaced in a strange “told you so” and “now’s your time” fashion). Many people felt a bit helpless and uncounted.

There’s a fix my friends, the answer is always action. In business, when sales are low, you can have as many meetings as you want, seek as many new ideas as you want, but if you’re not out selling, you’re not going to solve the revenue problem.

Because it is. If you’ve read any of my last few books, you’ll know that one of my favorite teachers and mentors is failure. I learn more and I learn faster when I fail. It’s not that I want to fail. But when I do, I learn from it. I want to give you the mechanism I use.

A.F.A.

Instead of just failing, I use a really simple process. (Don’t get me wrong – I fail in other ways like you all the time). This process is AFA.

Attempt
Fail
Adapt

It’s a loop, like the famous OODA loop (observe, orient, direct, act).

That means, when you get to the end of the AFA – adapt – you then should go back to “attempt.” If you win, then that’s a good thing. That’s AW. Attempt. Win. Awwwww! 😉 Movement is life. We have to talk a little more about that.

We often mistake “busy” for “movement.” But busy is more a state of how you manage your options and choices. I’m not busy. I’m never busy. I’m blessed. Because I choose to work on that which moves my business (and life) forward.

Movement is when you’re headed towards (or away from) your destination (your goals). The best kind of movement is when you’re powering it. Your action drives the best movement. This is true in life, in driving a car, in sledding down a snowy hill. When YOU determine the outcome and steering of your movement, it goes better.

Are you feeling stuck in life or business right now? Are you not sure what to do? Are you feeling lost in the wild? Take action. Sketch a quick map if you have to, and then move.

I’ll give you a real life example. This new US president has some policies I actually agree with, and some that I have to fight against (like every president ever).

In the US, nearly half of the country’s eligible voters didn’t vote. They took no action. They made no movement. Maybe they were afraid of failure, so they made no attempt.

I’m here. This is about business. This is about life. Take action. Move through and past failure.

Live.–

Chris…
Owner Media Group Inc 110 Marginal Way #744 Portland, Maine 04101 United States (207) 650-5290