Are You Making a Dent?

When you read the title of this blog, did you think Steve Jobs or what might have happened to your car when you didn't pay attention backing out of a parking spot during holiday shopping? If it's the latter than be prepared to read about how my life pivoted a year ago. A year ago, my family and I moved from Colorado to Vermont. You heard that right - we left Colorado. TWICE. Once in 2008 and again in 2018. A lot of things transpired in 2018, but one of the biggies was coming across this quote from Steve Jobs, who tragically passed at age 56. "We're here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?" How true.

So, I began to ponder this quote, ALOT. I had turned 50. Yes, I also put that in print, and thought, if I only had six more years on this Earth - what would I have done to make a difference? There's a reason, as Jobs puts it, why we are all here. And then I decided - it was time to make a dent and to make some big changes. To start taking big risks, calculated risks, and saying "YES AND - ".

Things started to magically fall into place as if I magically opened up a portal to the way I wanted to live my life  - you know the kind of life where you lose track of the date and day. But it doesn't matter, because you're living every day fully whether it's a weekday, weekend, or whatever. I digress, but here's the point, ask yourself, "Are you making a dent in the universe?" Are you truly doing what you love to do? Because if you are - does it show in your business? Do your customers know why you do what you do?

But let's return to Jobs and why a lot of entrepreneurs look at how he built Apple. Simon Sinek, another one of my favorite people and the author of "Star With Why" (a must read) summed it up really well in his article, "Why Entrepreneurs Love Steve Jobs" which you can read here. Sinek talks about how Jobs created a company that just didn't create computers, but rather a company whose products became symbols for a set of values and beliefs. While much can be written about Jobs' work ethic and always surrounding himself around people who shared his beliefs, Sinek states that in order to lead like Jobs you have to have three must-have characteristics: 1) Clarity of why you do what you do; 2) Discipline of how you do it; and 3) Consistency of what you do. I couldn't agree more. If you know they why, then the how and the whats will fall into place easily. So, are you making a dent? If so, I'd love to hear about it! 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS & HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!