The Year of Blogging Honestly: Day 6

The weather has been beautiful this month. Typically we get a few weeks of "false spring" in February and then March reminds of that winter is not quite over. Not so much this year. Like everyone else, I loaded up on plants (drought tolerant) and potting soil (organic) at Home Despot. With a little help from the Tiger Team staff, I re-planted a few old water troughs. 
With temps in the 70s and 80s, it's impossible not to think about climate change. Talk about keeping it real. Recently I discovered the David Suzuki Foundation web site. There's a list of the little things anyone can do to make a difference. Given that our congressional leadership are cynically denying science, I appreciate having a way take personal action. It may be small, but not insignificant. Happy Sunday.

The Year of Blogging Honestly: Day 5

Everyone is geeking out because it's Pi day. Twice today we get 10 digits of Pi: 3.14.15 9:26:53. I'm not a math geek (probably because Mr. Rettig threw a book at me in sophomore algebra) so no big deal here. However it's the perfect day to recommend "The Life of Pi"  by Yann Martel - a thrilling story, great read and a gorgeous movie. Plus the tiger is pretty sweet. Definitely in my top 10.  

The Year of Blogging Honestly: Day 4

It's party time. We’re celebrating 12 years of running a successful small business. This is an aha moment. It’s been such an integrated part of our life, Centerline Farm hardly seems like a business. It was built around a dream of living out in the “country”.  Based on a passion for all things equestrian. Somehow it turned into a community of people who share a love of horses, the sport and the adventure. 

Like many small business owners, at first, we were in way over our heads. The learning curve was ridiculously steep. We bootstrapped the farm, as we turned potential into reality. Sometimes it really sucked. Now, most of the time it’s simply great.

Here’s the point. Lots of businesses are a result of one’s avocation. However getting from that passion to a “day job” is a gigantic leap. For some, it never becomes full-time, and that’s OK. Regardless, to grow from avocation to successful occupation, the small business entrepreneur must start by doing these 5 things:

1. Determining their goals
   
2. Describing their customer
   
3. Defining their products
   
4. Developing a plan
   
5. Then doing it, adjusting it, doing it again
   

My advice. Start out by keeping it simple. Take a couple of hours to brainstorm and write it all down on one page. Then, get some help to move it forward. 

With some good luck, smart choices and lots of previous business experience we were able grow Centerline Farm into a profitable and fun business. We’ve downsized a bit – but it’s still a joy. And what I realize now, the most important thing is learning how to do this: Keep it real, be true to yourself, and live the moment. 

Let’s get the party started. 

The Year of Blogging Honestly: Day 3

How to Have a Year That Counts 
This is a beautiful article in the Harvard Business Review written by Umair Haque.  It merits a re-read every now and then. I've worked in silicon valley for more years then anyone should admit. So it's refreshing to read an article about 'keeping it real' in HBR.  There's a theme going on here.

Humair's four resolutions:

1. Don't give up on your dreams
   
2. Don't be afraid to suffer
   
3. Seek the mystery inside the truth, not the truth inside the mystery
   
4. Let you happen
   
   

A few excerpts:

"I believe, first, in a humble, simple truth: that each and every one of us is here to live a life that matters. And we must do so by making each and every moment of each and every day of each and every year that we are privileged to live count".

"Free yourself. Want a year that counts? Maybe you have to end a bad relationship so that you can have your heart shattered into a million tiny aching pieces…so it can beat with a fiercer rhythm. Maybe you have to tell your NeanderBoss “no” instead of smiling and nodding like a spineless flunky. Maybe you have to apologize to someone, and look your shortcomings straight in the eye. Or maybe you have to start that company, marry that person, and put down roots — even when the ground beneath you feels like shifting sand." 

"So stop. Stop scurrying. Stop chasing. Stop worrying, envying, hoarding, scheming.You’re free. (You always were.) And you have a choice–and a chance. At making it all count. Not just this year. But every instant. Every moment. It. Your life.You."

Stop for 5-minutes and read it. Right now. Especially if you're doing what you do, just because that's the way it's always done.

The Year of Blogging Honestly: Day 2

I don't mean to get all touchy-feel. However, one year into this Tiger Team thing calls for a little reflection. 

• Since Colbert went off the air I've been watching The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore. I'm not sure yet how I feel about the show but I do like its meme: "Keep it 100". No bullshitting.
• In a yoga class last week Stacy asked us to think about what advice we would give to our younger selves. I immediately thought "be true to yourself". Really? And build a career?
• Yesterday I listened to an inspiring podcast. Andre Gregory was telling a story he called The First Time. We've all experienced first times. The first kiss, the first meeting, the first creative success. His message was about trying to make every single thing we do be for  "the first time".  Be in the moment, because that is what it is to be truly alive.

More than ever, our personal and professional lives are intermingled. Can anyone be truly honest with others, be their genuine self and stay in the moment day-in and day-out? Does it matter? And what does this have to do with Tiger Team? Don't know but I sure as hell plan to find out. 

The Year of Blogging Honestly: Day 1