Of course not.
These three words rocked me back. For a second I didn’t know what to say. Then I laughed.
One of the things I love the most about my wife is her ability to see the world in a different light than I do. I theorize, strategize, and otherwise maneuver my way around difficult business problems, creating immutable tools for marketing and services. Then, in three short words, my entire premise — my foundation — is cracked asunder.
It began with three questions.
Assuming you didn’t have to worry about money …
- Where would you live?
- What would your average week look like?
- How much would it cost to live this way?
Stacey answered these questions with delight and practicality. The expense wasn’t astronomical (as per my guess), and her priorities maintained.
Then, I asked a follow-up question.
Would you still be doing this in five years? Ten?
That’s when I received, “Of course not.” I had to smile.
One of my most-basic tenets of business is to remain agile and respond to the customer. Yet, here I was trying to pose a question of permanence in someone’s dreams. The sheer honesty and bluntness of the statement, “Of course not” rocks the foundation of the Utopian world I was trying to create. Here I am thinking that satisfying today’s dreams will suffice for tomorrow, when in-fact dreams change and adapt, too.
I shared this with you, because I think this is an awesome lesson with regards to starting or enhancing your business right now. Don’t worry about an immutable plan that accounts for all change and can weather all future economies. That approach has never worked and never will. Satisfy today’s needs, today’s wants, today’s parades. And include in your dreams, not only the willingness, but the desire to change and respond to tomorrow. This approach will weather all economies.
Afterall, the only things you can count on are death, taxes, (and change).