Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

I recently bought a new toy. The kind that a kid dreams about for months, a Christmas morning toy. Carole calls it my midlife crisis purchase…perhaps.
Yes, I’m feeling my mortality. Friends, colleagues, people you know and hear about are dropping like flies; cancer, heart attack, stroke or car accident.  I’m constantly questioning my purpose in life but still deciding to enjoy the journey.

I tucked it in the garage but all of a sudden I need more space for the accessories. I need to make room. Shoes, boots, spare seats, cover, cleaning products, etc.  Immediately I scan the items taking up space and it becomes obvious I need to purge, donate, reorganize if I’m going to have the appropriate space to store my new stuff.

I see parallels in business.

The question Ray Kroc of McDonalds fame asked was “Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?”

Are you reinvesting or resting on your laurels because you thought you did such a great job last year? (Guess what…NOBODY cares what you did last year.)
They simply want to know
•Are you relevant?
•Do you add value today?
•Do you produce something or provide a service that helps other people get bigger, stronger, faster?
•Are you reinvesting?
•Are you pushing back on the effects of gravity, age, stress, and poor choices?

•Are you just gonna sit there and take less or are you going to fight for your legacy?

So our daughter stopped by after work last Friday to chat, enjoy dinner with us and organize some furniture. We took the new toy for a spin then Mom thought we should take a picture. I didn’t recognize the old man sitting on my new bike. I was genuinely shocked. He was wearing my clothes and sitting where I thought I was sitting but that wasn’t me…was it?

A former coworker whom I adore sent me a note the other day that read “If it doesn’t bring you joy, get rid of it.”

Another former coworker who I could take or leave, used to pluck his gray hairs to slow down the appearance of aging. We all understood the futility of his effort but enjoyed watching the struggle while we secretly hoped he’d lose all of his hair for discriminating one follicle from another.

We are all humans who seek comfort, familiarity and security. That does not mean that you stop introducing new into your life.

New ideas
New friends
New investments
New information
New business models
New staff
New business partners

New freedom from oppression

New gray hairs

You need to make room. It’s what keeps you feeling young, vibrant, and meaningful.

Have a blessed weekend!