But Work isn’t the problem for most people I know. Most people I know are perfectly willing to do the work. The more frequent challenge I see is the need to focus what they’re working on so that they’ll get the results they want.

My third year Latin teacher gave me a pin that said (in Latin) “he who chases two leopards catches neither.” She knew what she was talking about (and as testimony to the gift’s aptness, I had to ask her to translate the pin for me.) Chase one leopard at a time and you may soon have a cage full of them. Chase two at a time and you’ll have none.

By the way, this lesson does not apply if your business model is to chase after things like grubs and bugs that you can pick up by hand in quantities sufficient to keep your belly full. If that’s your business model, you don’t need much focus at all. It’s not a very exciting business model (to me) but you’ll survive. On the other hand, if you want to do more than survive — if you want to build something sustainable and interesting — you’re going to be chasing leopards, and that requires focus.

Discipline is remembering what you want.
Discipline is remembering what you want.
Discipline is remembering what you want.

And, of course, doing what it takes to get what you want.

These are the things on my scorecard, and the first among them is all three.

Today I was talking with some business friends including one fellow who’s trying to decide what to do with the valuable remnants of a business that recently collapsed.  He had many ideas, any of which could be a viable re-configuration of the original idea.  But which ones would be the best for him?

“What do you want?”, I asked him.

“That’s a deep question,” he replied.

I told him what I want from my business.  I want to have fun, do good, and make money.

Turns out that he wants the same thing, along with everyone else around the table.  Fortunately, there’s an ample and ever-growing supply of each.

…unsustainable situations usually go on longer than most economists think possible. But they always end, and when they do, it’s often painful.

– Paul Krugman

The quote, above, has been around for a while but now seems like a good time to mention it.  Krugman has long been a critic of the Bush Administration’s economic policies.  And this morning, Krugman was announced winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics.  In his comments, he briefly addressed the current financial crisis:

“Praising world leaders’ efforts to staunch the financial bleeding, he added: “I’m slightly less terrified today than I was on Friday.” World policy makers met at the weekend, after a black Friday on financial markets, to agree radical measures to rescue banks, revive liquidity and tackle the risk of a global recession.

– Reuters

There is no good in arguing with the inevitable. The only argument available with an east wind is to put on your overcoat.

- James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)

We must have the courage to bet on our ideas, to take the calculated risk, and to act.  Everyday living requires courage if life is to be effective and bring happiness.

– Maxwell Maltz

Many phone calls ensued, and I think all will be well after tomorrow when I (a) get a new windshield and (b) roll by a Las Vegas Nationwide for their inspection so that they can call my North Carolina Nationwide and say, “OK, this car qualifies for collision insurance.”

A bit freakish, frightening (I have no insurance?!) and frustrating, as you can imagine.

Point is, though: if I didn’t have a few dollars in the bank, a non-hurried schedule for getting to CA, and a good night’s sleep last night — I could have easily blown a fuse.  Fortunately, I had the emotional, physical, and practical buffers that I needed to deal with this unexpected stress.

Writ larger and more corporately — our businesses also need buffers.  Buffers of money, time, and calm to absorb the inevitable surprises.  Sure, we want to run our businesses “lean”.  But “lean” doesn’t mean “emaciated.”  I read one time that elite distance runners sometimes have compromised immune systems because they have no fat reserves.  Maybe I’m mis-remembering, but you get the idea.

There’s Nothing as Dangerous as an Idea When It’s the Only One You Have.

– Bill O’Hanlon in Do One Thing Different — and other uncommonly sensible solutions to life’s persistent problems.

If you’ve been to one of their franchises, you’ve heard the welcome. When my cousin Rich was younger, he’d go into the Chapel Hill NC store and ask for a big slice of bread, which he’d top with about two tablespoons worth of butter and maybe some honey. He never bought anything. They never glared. And they’re still happy to give away free loaves (however many you need) for any charitable event you need them for.

Many franchises display a placard with their operating philosophy, which goes like this:

What’s the gimmick?
Why the big free slices?

If this is the first time in our bakery, you may wonder why everybody gets a slice of bread for free. Most people assume these are “samples” so they can “try before they buy”… except they’ve never seen samples this big.

Our breadboard is not a “sample” board. It’s a place where anybody can get a hunk of fresh bread whenever they want, even if they never buy a thing.

Some people think a business is just to make money, so naturally our breadboard is confusing. But we are a business for two reasons: to make money and to have fun. Either one alone wouldn’t be enough. The day it stops making money, or it stops being fun, we quit.

The breadboard is our fun. The cash register is our money. So you see, when you’re at our breadboard, you’re keeping this whole thing going, just as much as the people at the cash register. People are happiest when they make other people happy. As bakers, we’re happiest when we see people eating our bread, right when it comes out of the oven.

Some people worry that we don’t know what we’re doing. Trust us–we won’t go broke. In fact, every time some guy runs in, grabs a big slice, and runs out smacking his lips, we seem to get more customers. The cash register takes care of the breadboard–but the breadboard also takes care of the cash register, and everything is going great for us, all around.

We do ask one little favor. Please take a slice even if you’re not hungry. Save it for later, or feed it to a hungry seagull–you won’t hurt our feelings a bit (actually some of our biggest fans are gulls!)

So just relax about the free bread. We’re relaxed. Waltz right up to the breadboard, tell us what you want, and help yourself to the butter!

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Thank you to Brian at Katzung.net for posting the full text.