Beyond the Windshield

 I sang in the car today - about people who cannot drive. I was in a GREAT mood - leaving the school parking lot. Between the people who park and sit all morning for no reason and the people who just pull out and drive around, in and out of lanes, without ever looking at a mirror or window....I determined some people just cannot drive. So I started to sing about "some people can't drive..." and I started to get really negative.

Anyone who has ridden with me know - I cannot deal with bad drivers and put me at a red light for more than 2 seconds and I'm borderline to insane with impatience.

 I realized my mood was dampening due to these PEOPLE. And I CHOSE to note let that happen. Because honestly - it is out of my control that the Department of Public Safety/DMV of Texas hands out drivers licenses like fliers to a windshield in the Target parking lot - without discretion. That is beyond my control. All I can control is my behavior. So I should focus on MY driving....not shoot death glares at the woman in the 2013 Infiniti.

Isn't that pretty much Life, though? Sometimes we get so caught up in getting angry with people for being ignorant or willfully stupid - we forget to pay attention to the things we can control. All we can do is focus on our actions and just WATCH OUT for those who don't pay attention. But it goes beyond that as well....sometimes we resent others' successes because we are not where we want to be. It's natural - but we can control it.

I struggled with this a lot in my life. I still do from time to time. I backslide into a "victim" mentality sometimes. "Victor/Victim" is the principle of whether we will choose to behave "above the line" or "below the line." A Victor is positive and proactive. Responsible,optimistic, takes ownership for his or her actions. A visionary - to see the big picture and identify the steps it takes to get there. Achieves excellence. That's a Victor - an everyday champion. A Victim is one who blames others and makes excuses. Seeping in denial and focused on the "win/lose" result and not on the lessons learned during the "game." Scarcity mentality - an emotional pit. And honestly, it's almost natural for us to be in the Victim mentality. As in human nature....or society brings that on. From what I can tell it takes work for most people to hold their shoulders back and be that Champion/Victor. When we let our guard down, we can default back to Victim.

And I do it. You do it. We all do it.

The trick is to be aware of it and identify whether or not we are living above the line or below the line. Today? I started to drift below the line. But I noticed it - corrected it.

Sometimes we covet what others have - we know it is wrong, but sometimes we do it. And sometimes we get angry over others' mistakes. What I would like you to do today - is identify those triggers that occur beyond your windshield - that are simply out of your control. Are you focused on them? Do they dampen your spirit? Do they anger you? Do you resent another's success? Let them go. Be cautious - be on the lookout for them. But focus your energy on what you CAN control.

My favorite saying is something like, "Don't worry about the things you cannot change. And if you can change it, stop worrying and change it."

DELEGATION

I don’t have time to train anyone right now. I have a certain way I want this done. It’s my duty to (insert chore/task.)

Yeah – that was me. I have been working with my Focal Point business coach Art and I keep running into the same issue. Time! I need time! And the quality of my output has diminished as a result of me spreading myself too thin in order to  accomplish my tasks in a timely manner. I forget things. Or my desk is a disaster (as a result of not having time to organize it. Tsk Tsk, I know!) and I cannot find that order I was supposed to place. Or that article I needed to read. Or that form that required my signature.

Scatterbrained. That’s the word.

I have a nine year old son. Much of my time is spent cooking, cleaning, LAUNDRY, trying to spend FUN, QUALITY time with him, more LAUNDRY, etc. Saturday mornings have been spent cleaning, and doing homework, and maybe some work-work too.
I own a security business and I love it! I love my job, but I have no backup. Partly because of the excuses I listed in the opening lines of this blog post. In addition to my daily working “in the business” on my day-to-day operations – I am working “on the business” on business coaching, strategic planning, and gathering data to analyze performance. I sometimes work late and have often taken work home.

I am finishing my business degree – graduate in December! Woo-hoo! But I haven’t had a week off school since January 2013. That is quite a long time. And between lofty essays, strict participation rules, and mandatory team assignments every week – I spend a lot of time on school.

I decided to start my own direct selling business with Rodan + Fields – and guess what? I love it. I do. But it also requires time in order to do it properly.

I have always tried to do the most on my own – without help. And then Art helped me understand the skill of delegation and why it is so important. The last two weeks, I have been studying Increasing Personal Effectiveness and I am studying time management and delegation right now. One thing is to figure out your hourly rate. Take your annual salary, divide it by 2,080 if you don’t know. And then determine if you would pay someone else that amount to complete that task.

For instance, let’s say you earn $75,000 per year – that makes your hourly wage $36.06. If you spend two hours per day sorting mail and entering data into a computer system, the question to ask yourself is: Would you pay someone $36.06 per hour to type for you? If you could pay a part time helper $10.00 per hour to enter your data and sort your mail each day – you could save yourself time and spend less money on that task. So by spending $100.00 to a helper per week to sort mail and enter data – you are then able to free up ten hours per week to focus on higher-value tasks that require YOU.

Another reason to delegate is – the task at hand  is out of your wheelhouse. If you lack the tools to do it efficiently and properly, you could free up that time by allowing someone else to do the task for which they are better suited. I used to complete all my designing and printing for our business forms, brochures, etc. It was extremely time consuming as I was not as skilled as I should have been and I also lacked the correct software and printers to get professional quality. I would waste so much time and money – for poor-quality work. It made our brand look bad. I was unable to complete other tasks that required my skill. So I outsourced. Guess what?

1. They do such an amazing job – I am beyond pleased.

2. I send an email and I know they are on top of it.

3. It saves me time (and money) because I allow those who are better suited for it complete the task and focus my time and energy elsewhere. I swapped what I was paying for card stock, brochure paper, more ink toner cartridges, and labor and got a higher-quality product! And then I am able to accomplish my tasks and handle customer service in a more timely manner! Win-win! My company looks more professional and the quality of our service increased – all because I let it go.

I also recently outsourced typing a mailing list of 1,150 companies in this area. I was struggling trying to find the time to fit it in. How could I type all of this into a spreadsheet by my deadline AND meet my other obligations? And then I realized – I could have someone else do it. And so I did. For $70.00 I had a freelancer type the entire list into my spreadsheet for me. Immediate ease of mind – no longterm commitment – and I’m able to focus on higher value tasks that actually require my attention.

I have been studying marketing and success with my coach Art and watching Chalene Johnson’s videos. I watched this ONE this week. HOW PERFECT IS THIS? I even downloaded her PDF and will complete it this weekend. It is a form that asks you to take inventory of your life and identify areas where delegation is recommended. Between being a parent, a full time student, a full time business owner involved in the daily operations of my business – with a budding direct selling career – I need time. I need focus.

So – TRIM THE FAT, so to speak. CHOOSE to fill your days with those things that fuel you. Be with the friends who reciprocate. Focus your energy on the high-value items YOU need to do and get help in the others. Free yourself from the constraints of stress if at all possible. This is key to a better day, a better week, a better YOU!