Focus on what works

Sometimes we seek out alternate workouts, diets, or the 10 new marketing tactics of the year. Experimenting is great for learning what works.  But once we find something that works, we can devote less time to seeking other methods.

Better to use the three marketing tactics that bring in new business consistently, than 20 tactics that sometimes work just a little bit.  Better to eat the foods we love and that serve us than to try to “mix it up” purely for the sake of variety (unless variety alone brings you joy).

Experimenting allows us to figure out what few things work well.  Once we identify those few things, spend less time seeking to swap them out for the next big thing.

It’s not too late

My inspiring friend Pat started training in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu after she turned 60. She was already athletic, and now she’s athletic and…not someone you want to mess with. Sam Walton founded Walmart at age 44. Julia Child wrote her first cookbook at age 50. “Colonel” Sanders franchised his first KFC at age 62. It’s not too late. Take action. As the Chinese proverb says: The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

I don’t know enough

With some effort, perhaps we can normalize saying things like “I don’t know enough about that topic to have an informed opinion.”  One way to move in that direction is to acknowledge that, no matter your expertise, there is some aspect of any topic of which you are ignorant – limited by a lack of compelling data or maybe just a perspective you’ve been denied through no fault of your own. My hope is that one day, an admission that someone “doesn’t know enough yet” will not only be normal, but as respected as the expert answer.