I referenced life and business as a (your) bus in the last post. What bus are you on? Do you want to be on the bus? And do you have the capacity to have others come with you?
I always question deeply when I think about spending money or time.
What do I want to pay for, in my time and money?
I remember reading a book (I am always reading a book or five) by Wanda Urbansky in the early 2010’s. She defined simplicity as taking away all the nonsense we don’t need so we can focus on what really matters and brings joy to ourselves.
And the illustration that sticks in my mind “What do you want to pay for?” She referenced a doctor’s waiting room that was sufficient, though likely as not nice in the standards that we may have come to expect.
She would rather pay for the doctor to be the doctor and do the doctor things than subsidize the waiting room which (because it was simple and wasn’t a big practice) she wasn’t in long anyway.
That was the first time I can remember seeing what I did in my head, out on the page, in such simple terms.
I get worried when someone thinks about or suggests a new product, tool or procedure without thinking through the possible unintended consequences and what really matters to the people using said product, tool or procedure. Anyone who tells you “This is the solution” without talking to you, knowing you and digging into your business and life, well, it’s highly likely that this new idea ends up further complicating and obscuring the whole reason you wanted this solution in the first place.
What do I want to pay for, in my time and money?
So what is my bus, where is it going? And does it need to stop, here, here and here? Does it want to pick up these passengers? Or does it want to give the current passengers some better snacks or more bathroom/stretch breaks?
And if the passenger is only you, then it is even more important! It can be easier to provide the necessary items and make things simpler for others. (Just think of how we are all trained!) Unfortunately, the whole “we must suffer” “we must make things complicated to justify work” tends to reign, even when we know better. Especially when we know better!
And will others pay for it, in time or money? Probably. Actually, very likely. For every person who wants a bespoke experience, there are others who would like “just the facts, thank you.”
It’s getting these to come together, deciding what YOU want to pay for in time and money then making that a reality in your life and business. Then you and your clients will not just have the service, but be happy and satisfied, which beats just delivering a service any day.
Maybe it’s woo-woo, but we know the difference between someone just delivering and someone who is in it for the right reasons (supporting themselves and others). I want to be more of that first person. And I want others to be as well.
So:
- What do you want to pay for, in time and money?
- And what don’t you want to pay for, in time and money?
That will give a whole lot of clarity and start the simplification process.