Dear Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Dreamers, and Creators of Great Things: I write these Love Letters each month with the hope of bringing you a little encouragement, some marketing help, and a few minutes of joy. Whether we are already friends or have yet to meet, I hope you’ll enjoy my stories from the road and some awesomely random takeaways, tools, tips, and updates.
Just start cooking
I am a sucker for a good cookbook. So when The World Central Kitchen cookbook was released this month, you know I had it on preorder. It’s visually stunning, and the recipes are mouthwatering. But the stories are really the best part of this book. Each chapter is a glimpse into the heart of José Andrés and the thousands of people who make WCK the amazing organization it is. (Secretly, working for WCK is my dream retirement plan.)
In the chapter on Adaptation, they talk about how one of the core tenets and running jokes at WCK is that they don’t have meetings and they don’t plan. They just start cooking.
José Andrés is known for saying, “You can’t tell a hurricane which way to turn; all you can do is react to that turn.”
This time of year, for so many, our thoughts turn to business planning. We make time to reflect on the year past and the year to come and make big, elaborate plans. For some, these plans will never materialize.
Planning isn’t a bad thing. But always planning and never doing is a recipe for a weak business that is unable to change course when the hurricane does. We learn by doing, not by planning. Plans can help us stay focused and on budget, but doing is where we learn the most valuable lessons about what works and what doesn’t.
By all means, friends: plan ahead. But at some point, you simply have to start cooking. You may have to do that before you have all the ingredients, or before you even know where they will come from. But believe me, if you start cooking, what you need will always show up.
Rodeos & Rabbit holes
You’ve probably seen the meme that says, “I didn’t realize I was supposed to know how to do everything by my second rodeo. That seems like a very low number of rodeos.” I kind of love it because it reminds me that we all have a lot to learn.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a Facebook post where someone was mocking a colleague for asking a super basic question. Their comment was to the effect of, “How are they even in this business if they don’t know that?” It gave me pause and made me think.
Why do we cringe at people asking for help? Aren’t we taught to ask for help when we are young? And then we grow up and we’re supposed to know everything? It’s actually impossible for everyone to know everything. (And good gravy, that would be exhausting.)
I’m not trying to be preachy here, friends, but this week when you are frustrated with someone for asking a basic question, maybe just trying helping them. You might just find that they know something you don’t. That’s kind of the beauty of humanity, after all.
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It’s the time of year when I start spending more time in the garage. There are gardening things to be put away and stored, piles of things that I’ve been meaning to sort all summer, and a lot of cobwebs and crawly things that need to be cleaned out. I am not sure where all these things come from or why they tend to congregate in the corners of my garage, but anyhoo.
This past weekend I was filling the bird feeders and as I moved some things, I saw a particularly cobwebby corner. “Eew,” I thought to myself, “I need to clean that up. I should grab a broom.” Of course, just as I had that thought, my brain said to me, “You know, it would be faster and easier with a ShopVac.”
I paused. I don’t own a ShopVac. I whipped out my phone and looked up ShopVacs on Amazon. I scrolled. Read reviews. Compared prices. Looked at filters. Scanned my garage for power points. And before I knew it, twenty minutes had passed. And then I realized, I own a broom. So, I got out the broom, cleaned out the corner, and went on with my day.
Friends… we all do this. We go down rabbit holes on tools and tech and thingabobs and whozits and whatzits galore (name that song!) thinking they are some magical better option that will make things easier or faster… when we already have everything we need to just do the dang thing.
Sometimes the other tools are better. But sometimes they are just a distraction. It’s important to know the difference.
This is where I share the good stuff
… the latest websites, books, & tools that are inspiring me, the people who are making me smile, and the stuff I have been writing on sticky notes.
- Just for fun, take two minutes and watch this. Your brain will be so thankful for the dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins.
- I am LOVING this podcast. Ladies, this should be required material for any of us over the age of forty. So good. (Also, my friend Jenn launched her podcast this week! Add her to your playlist!)
- For the ladies launching passion projects, side hustles, and legit businesses. This site is for you.
- Speaking of side hustles, this book is awesome. The author is one of the most interesting people I have ever met, and no matter what your business looks like, this book is full of wisdom.
- This book is going in my suitcase for my upcoming travel. Can’t wait!
- If you ever doubt your ability to make an impact, just watch this.
- A brand new business venture for one of the world’s most beloved companies. Lots to learn from this…
- Since you might already be planning ahead, this is a perfect gift idea for family and clients this season.
Thanks for reading, friends! If you want to get these in your inbox every month, be sure to get on the mailing list. And if you are looking for a speaker who will motivate your organization to get up, get moving, and face change head-on, I would love to chat.
