There is a cycle taught in entrepreneurship that applies to life as a whole.
The Entrepreneurship Way starts off with a Routine —-> Trigger —> Ideas —> Opportunities —> Planning —> Startup.
Most entrepreneurs enjoy the idea and opportunity stages, we get a little shoddy on the planning and we start anyway. The routine phase is not a big thrill for us but it is as important as the trigger which leads to ideas and new opportunities. A routine is as vital as planning and doing what is necessary to start well.
Most of life is spent in the routine stage and I’ve come to see that its not a bad thing. This should be your go to position when things get a little hairy and you feel unstable. It should be the place you strive to get to when you are building a business. In the routine stage you gain clients, establish a culture of good service and rapport with staff. In this stage you build business and income and save for a rainy day.
Don’t make permanent decisions in temporary places.
Triggers are temporary. You will get through the divorce, the health scare, the job loss. While a trigger will be the impetus for a change you don’t want to stay there experiencing life as a series of tragedies and moments. Your goal should be to move through the stages and get back to the basics.
Be always in pursuit of stability and a system in which you can function effectively.
Routines are important for children.
For young mothers with babies, routines are critical to building your baby’s trust and confidence in being in this new strange noisy world. They get cranky when you miss bath time by five minutes, if you are late getting home for their afternoon breastfeeding, if they are on the road when they are usually tucked away in their crib fast asleep. A persistent breaking of a routine tells the baby, you can’t be trusted and it also teaches them that others can’t be trusted or depended on either.
Moms do yourself a favour and get and keep a routine for your baby and/or little ones. It will pay dividends for you and them as they grow.
Routines are important for farming.
I don’t have a green thumb but I am well aware that its important to understand when its planting season and harvest time. When you don’t understand the seasons and cycles of life then you are setting yourself up for constant turmoil. Don’t plant when the land should be resting. Know what seeds you have and in what season they needed to be planted and harvested.
When turmoil arises, the first place you should turn is to the basics.
Breathe.
Eat.
Sleep.
Do your hair.
Take care of your children.
Breathe.
Eat.
Sleep.
Do your hair.
Take care of your children.
Whatever is part of your basic routine turn to it and then start from there to assess what the triggers are, what you need to do to handle the triggers and what opportunities they are creating for you.
Plan well and then make the changes you need to.
Starting from the basics also creates a sense of confidence for you that you know what is going and that nothing every part of your world is upside down.
We’ll discuss dealing with an upside down world in another post.
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