One of the truths about being an entrepreneur is that you are constantly in a heightened sense of being inspired. I find that I look for it everywhere ... during customer service experiences, while driving, watching tv, in my breakfast cereal bowl ... I am an equal opportunity inspirational source seeker.
I find that I am especially inspired by music, and particularly the lyrics. Great song lyrics can be so powerful. My worship experience on Sunday mornings is particularly intense when a great hymn hits me just right.
Today's simple truth from a song comes courtesy of country singer Sara Evans. I stumbled upon a Sara Evans concert in Fort Worth, Texas a few years ago at the world's largest honky tonk, Billy Bob's Texas. (It was after I drove from Dealey Plaza in Dallas & then saw the Fort Worth Rodeo & ate a Texas T-Bone steak, but that's a whole nother blog)
The song is "Suds In The Bucket" and the line that hit me then & sticks with me even today as an entrepreneurial truth is "You cain't fence time".
As entrepreneurs, and as athletes, we are constantly attempting to control everything that we possibly can. I even keep a spreadsheet to track how I spend my time in 10 different categories. But here's the thing, no matter how hard we try, the minutes & hours & days go by relentlessly. Now this isn't anything that you don't already know. Time rolls on in every aspect of our lives. But as an entrepreneur or an athlete, looking to gain any advantage I can, I started thinking about how I could apply this truth in my business or in sports.
So here goes ... There are just some things that are out of our control. Oh heck, why don't I just say it ... There is really absolutely nothing that I can honestly say that I fully control at all! Coming to grips with this makes me a better entrepreneur and a better athlete. I can stop working so hard to control stuff, which is a fruitless enterprise, and focus my energies on that which is fruitful.
I've heard Chad Durbin say that once he lets a pitch go, it's no longer up to him. If he's done his job and put the pitch where he wanted, he just can't control (or get upset) if the batter puts a great swing on the ball for a base hit.
In a startup company and on an athletic team we are not going to be able to do everything. Resources are limited. Skill sets are limited. Identifying where we can make an impact & where we cannot is a critical foundational step to small business success and to success on the playing field.