I don't know about you, but when I am faced with tough, life-changing decisions, I waffle to and fro, weighing up the pros and cons of each option, favouring one direction one day and a completely different one the next.
It drives me nuts that I can be so indecisive and I start to feel like a kid again instead of the mature adult I am supposed to be. And the real kicker is that once I have reached the "final answer," I question myself on why it took me so long to reach that conclusion when the solution was there all the time staring me in the face.
What do you do when you have to make a dramatic change in your life and business? You know something has to change, but what? As they say, the only person you can change is yourself. So that is certainly a good place to start. But what to change?
I know as I wrestled with my decision, I talked to friends and family non-stop and got their take on the situation. I listened to what they had to say and some would speak up if they disagreed with my tentative thinking, always looking out for my best interests. Because sometimes we can't see what is best for us. Other friends went with the flow, knowing that they would be there for me whatever I decided.
Apart from this soul searching, I did do some fact checking and number crunching -- I needed to know which option could I afford to pursue and finally we narrowed it down to three potential directions.
It actually reminds me of when I worked in government and we would prepare a briefing note for the minister and provide options, potential outcomes and recommendations. Maybe my time there was well spent.
Actually as an aside, I remember one of my government colleagues saying she used a briefing note format to outline the options to her now ex-husband just prior to their split. It is interesting how our learning from one part of our lives spills over to another.
I digress... Certainly writing a pro and con list helped me reach a decision, for now. And that is just it. For now. Life will evolve and really there is no certainty about anything we may choose to do, as it can change on a dime.
It has been an interesting, complicated process and at least now I can sleep nights instead of tossing and turning wondering what best to do.
So what have I decided? I am not going to retire or sell my business. I am not ready yet, but I know one day I will be. In the meantime, I am going to change up what we do and more to the point, how I spend my time. It's more of a weaning process. My baby is nearly 10, and it's time to realize that it is growing up and needs a different approach to be effective in this changing world of business.
So stay tuned.