I’m one of those people who feels a compulsive need to make the most out of something. Or rather, out of EVERYTHING.
“Waste not, want not.”
“Chance favors the prepared.”
All that jazz.
(More on being a maximizer here. Literally was rolling my eyes but nodding in agreement with the article’s line, “As a general rule, maximisers do better, but feel worse.” Story of my life.)
So when I spoke at the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference recently, I had a dilemma: Go to my default mode of “make the most of it” and attend every session, meet as many people as possible, take copious notes, the works.
OR pump the brakes a bit and get what I need or want out of it, even if that’s not the “most” it could offer.
I chose the latter.
I made a few new connections. Chatted intermittently with the friend I brought. Attended the sessions that caught my eye, but didn’t force before and after hour meet-ups.
And more than anything, I observed fellow speakers’ style, content, and slides. Because I love speaking, facilitating conversations, and generally opening people up to new ideas.
So this was enough for me. At this conference. During this phase of my life and business.
To that end, what’s your “enough” right now? What are you “getting the most out of” without bending over backwards to get it?
- Is having a VA or OBM or coach or editor or strategic advisor on call exactly what you need, even if you rarely call on her?
- Is paying for the ease and professionality of a robust CRM worth the investment, even though you have a low-volume client load?
- Is being part of that community still important to you, even though you only use the chat feeds, but never attend the events?
- Is making the minimum to cover your childcare, business backend, and occasional personal development good enough for this phase of your business, even though you earned so much more before?
Maybe.
If not, then re-evaluate. Make a change. Remember that what worked before doesn’t need to work for you forever.
When you feel unsure and need a framework to decide (beyond budget, how your brain works, and scheduling bandwidth), then revisit your values and see how they come into play.
And if you don’t want to do all that decision-making and discerning and action planning alone, reach out so we can chat.
This is an excerpt from Toward Purpose & Progress, my newsletter where I share business tips, good news, shoutouts to Founder Friends, and other juicy snippets. Subscribe here for more rants, reflections, and resources.
