Sticking plasters and duct tape:
I have a guitar pedal board for the collection of effects pedals for my guitars, I have used a variety of methods to attach the pedals to the board, not all have been successful, but it has always been a "sticking plaster and duct tape repair" until I was touring, and a friend had one look at it and said he would fix it for me, I was afraid of the cost, but it was cheaper than I thought it would be and it was a solid job, no ground hum and no movement. The point I am trying to make, there are many things in life, especially business where we skimp and try to save money, time, resource but in the long run, it is a dripping tap of waste, we need to fix it properly the first time. This is a prime requirement, whether it is, software, hardware, infrastructure, personnel, take the time and fix the issue. Once it is set properly, you can forget about it, rely on it, and relax a little. Think about the small things that are irritating you whether personal or business how much energy/resource is it causing you to waste in worry and duct tape.
I was enjoying my "free" cooked breakfast yesterday at my local greasy spoon, it was not free to start with, but it ended being my fee for some consulting with the restaurant owner and chef. I had noticed the owner was not as loud as she usually was and looked ill, I spoke to her as I paid, and asked how she was keeping and how was the business performing as you do. (she knows I am looking for work and has offered driving employment, payment COH, I pass each time) I received the full story, and it was not pretty, but what was worse she did not see a way out of her trouble, I recognised the fundamental problems of someone running there own first business, with a low margin and high staff turnover. I asked if she would take some advice, she nodded but said what did I know about running a catering business, I said I used to run a full-service guest house, she smiled. I then proceeded over fresh coffee to give her the small recovery plan, prioritising, relieving her main pain points quickly, and breaking down her next set of actions. The way forward for her will not be easy for her; this is real life and complicated, but as she said, getting her "head out the sand." makes a big difference, and getting a simple vision established, with objectives and goals in place has helped her.
Reading a well-crafted book can be likened to a walking through a maze, you are given glimpses of the way forward as the narrative progresses, good writers keep a balance of momentum forward, where other writers lose the plot and you feel lost, I like a good book.
Life can be similar at times we find ourselves in a maze struggling to find a route forward, our narrative has "lost the plot" this is the time to dust of your long-term vision, objectives and goals, these should give you balance and focus to find your way forward back onto your path and allow you to make progress, without them you are lost with no direction, dust of your Vision and see how well you are doing, try a quick 5 whys analysis with it and then adjust as required, get back to enjoying the journey, and less hard work in the maze.
