"Quit the wrong stuff. Stick with the right stuff.
Have the guts to do one or the other."
~ Seth Godin ~
Motivation Monday - Richard's Insight
This comes from Seth Godin's short book called The Dip. The quote sounds quite obvious at face value doesn't it...stick with the good and give up the bad? The reality can be quite difficult though can't it?
For example, what exactly is the good and the bad...how can we tell? Or, what about our personal pride and dogged determination to push through despite all the odds and setbacks?
I think the answer (with a little help from Seth!) is the following:
Our core purpose and values are immovable but our strategy and direction are fluid and flexible.
We should really stick with our core purpose and values no matter what...unless of course we have been completely misguided on that...head of a drugs cartel may not be the ideal 'purpose' to be sticking to if we have been sold on a dream of easy money by the local gang leader...you get my point!
If we do truly know our purpose, believe in it and are intent on fulfilling it throughout our lives, then stick with that. However, don't be afraid to change tack along the way if things are not working out.
For example, I am a knowledge sharer and I believe it is a core part of my purpose. However, I have changed the way in which this is displayed in a number of ways over the years, from being in sales & marketing, to a consultant, to a mentor, to a trainer, to an author and so on. I have over time tried a few different things and as a result have kept some and ditched some others.
Them, even if we know that as say a trainer, we are moving in the right direction towards our purpose, we may not always get it right. For example, we had success with an introductory training course and some mentoring, but not with an annual full on apprenticeship. We ditched the apprenticeship but kept the other stuff.
Finally, the way in which we communicate or promote what we do may not be the most effective, so we can flex that part as well. Who knows, perhaps that apprenticeship idea would have succeeded if only we would have tried using an alternative method of sharing what it was all about.
Here is the conclusion - know what your purpose is, stick with that and then try and fail as much as you like in the how it is delivered. Just make sure you don't hang on to the wrong things for too long, but do hang on to the right things for as long as possible.
I know what you are thinking...and I don't have the easy answer to know exactly what is the right time to call it quits, but the purpose & values versus strategy & tactics approach that I outlined is helping me at least, so give that a bash 🙂
#MotivationMonday