These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.
“Misty Hollow
Carving” was launched in
October 2008
Misty Hollow Digital Images were
launched on September 26, 2012.
“Crop Circles’ Web Site” where all
my images are available.
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Finding a Balance in Building my Business – ‘Misty Hollow’
and Me
For the past four years as I have been
building my business I have giving it my everything. If it succeeds it will be because of what I
have done. If it fails it will be because of what I have done and what I have
not done… or what was done when I was not watching. As I said yesterday I am plugged in totally. I have to be.
Now the last two guides or goals for me are
the ‘Check ins’ and ‘Delay and Delegate’ – Important help steps for me as a
small business owner.
Number Four: ‘Check ins’
Getting totally into what I do and working on
every step with all my might I can lose focus with life in general.
I know this was true when I was working full
time. The job back then required me to be working some weeks as many as 50 to 60
hours and then still be on call when I was needed. There were times that my family didn’t see me
for days – even weeks. I was so important to the ‘company’ that I gave my
entire being away. At least I thought I was
so important – but the ‘company’ went on without me after I was gone – quite well.
That work ethic continued on in my life when I
launched ‘Misty Hollow’. Working long
hours was not hard when I saw what happened with my labour. When I witnessed a
creative idea come to life and then deliver the great happiness to the
recipient it drove me on.
I found working for myself was far more fun
than working for the ‘company’.
But there was a problem. I became so immersed
in what I was doing that my own family suffered. I needed to check in on what I needed to be
doing at home. And even though I was
primarily working at home (on the property) I was at times unplugged for what
was happening.
I also realized that I at times became frustrated
when family tried to interrupt what “Misty Hollow’ was needing me to do. It appeared that ‘they’ just didn’t
understand… how important what I was doing was!!!
After a few mini crisis personally… and a few
times I needed to shake my head… ‘Misty Hollow’ was not more important than my
family.
But I could see how some of my friends that
launched and built small businesses into bigger businesses had lost most
everything. Families could easily fall apart when something takes over all of
your life.
Simply put, I needed to ‘check in’ with the
world that I lived in, with my family, with my friends, with the World outside the
one of ‘Misty Hollow’.
Oh – believe me ‘Misty Hollow’ is now very
real place where I can walk through and live in – if I chose to. But I cannot stay there. I live in another world
as well.
‘Misty Hollow’ could not be possible without
my family’s support and encouragement. That alone is one of the greatest ‘loans’
I have ever been given. The loan is of my wife’s time and encouragement… as
well as my kids and grandkids. If I lose
that ‘loan’ I will go bankrupt emotionally.
I have to ‘check in’ to the other world
often. And that goes two ways. When in the family world I need to ‘check in’
on the ‘Misty Hollow’ world from time to time as well.
Number Five: ‘Delegate and Delay’
Nothing is more disastrous for building my
business than a disaster that suddenly springs up.
Not long ago our roof was suddenly leaking…
water dripping right down behind my computer!
We knew that something had to be done. And in the old days I simply would
taken time and do it – by myself.
But age and business has caught up to
me. I do not have the time nor the
ability any longer to do the work ALL BY MYSELF. That would have saved me money
– but I just couldn’t do it.
I contacted a great friend of mine who is
much younger and one of the best at doing a roofing job. He was willing and so we waited until he was
able. The roof was done in a mere two
days. If I had tried to do it would have been done maybe in two months… if I could
have placed the shingles on the roof somehow… sheesh. I shudder at the thought.
Our shingling job is only one example. There are many jobs that I used to do to save
us money. I can do almost everything.
But it is not good to do them now.
Most take way more energy than I have to say the least.
By getting great people to help me allows me
more time for family and ‘Misty Hollow’.
There is a need to delegate these different
tasks to someone else.
I have also found out one more valuable thing…
I can delegate jobs that I shouldn’t be doing in ‘Misty Hollow’. I don’t need
to try to carve, create and make everything. There are other businesses that
could do a better job and take less time to do something than I can.
I truly hate to admit that I cannot do it
all. I am invincible and unstoppable!
BUT I CANNOT DO IT ALL – I have to give some of it away.
Oh boy that is hard to admit! But now that I
did it – I feel better.
So there it is… my Five Points that I am
continuing to work on as I enter 2013.
Now I have to run. I have date this morning
with ‘The Blessed Virgin’ Mary over at the Catholic Church. Yesterday they gave
her good bath and she is now ready for some restoration work! What an honour to spend time with Mother Mary
for this next week or so.
God I love what I am doing!!!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
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