Welcome to another episode of The LeaveBetter Podcast where I interview high performers and business owners to glean from their wisdom and practical routines, habits, and mindsets— that you can apply to your own life.
Sometimes, rather than an interview, I riff on a particular self-sabotaging habit and it’s remedies.
In this episode, we are pleased to have Cary Prejean—a native of Louisiana and the founder of CFO Consulting, LLC. He works with business owners to help them turn their business into what he’s labeled “the well-oiled machine” process.
*Before you go—Sign up for my newsletter at Leavebetter.com. Once a week, wisdom and practicality in your inbox.
Remember: the actions you take today set you up for six months from now. So do something today that pushes you toward that next level of you. So go be INTENTIONAL.
In this episode, Cary and I talk about creating a balance between your personal life and business. Cary shares his experience between making that shift and focusing on what’s most imoprtant. Enjoy!
The power of a good question cannot be quantified.
Or of a good question-er, for that matter.
Conversely, people who are poor at creating the questions which lead them to the next level, whether that be in a relationship, in their career, or in their business bewilder me. Moreover, As a result of their lack of curiosity, they languish at their current level of (under) functioning.
Questions unlock doors; they open up spaces. When people ask good questions and then listen to the answers, they come away with a new perspective and possible action steps that make their life, or the life of others better. Similarly, You have the opportunity to shift your business into new places which, prior to asking these questions, you might not have even thought about.
Here are two questions which are thought-provoking:
Are you proud of the choices you are making at home?
Are you proud of the choices you are making at work?
These alone can chart your course for the rest of the year.
Or, how about this one:
What do you need today?
You can ask this question of yourself—something rare and difficult to do. However, even more daring and profoundly impacting, what if you ask your closest loved ones? Or your employees? Or your customers?
And don’t let them shrug it off with ‘I don’t know’.
Yet, all too often we stay lodged in our superficial sureness and our schedules, never bothering to venture out into another person’s deeper experience, including our own. As a consequence, we miss incredible opportunities to grow and improve the service we bring to others.
Here is another important question:
What next action will move my business or life forward?
If asked, and action follows, the previous question can absolutely change your life and move your business forward to the next level.
Simply:
Notice good questions.
2. Write them down.
3. And lastly, ask them.
The positive changes they bring about will amazing you.
I just discovered a new blog – a couple of minimalists who are straight shooters and serious about simplifying their lives.
The thing I noticed in reading about simplifying is that stuff weighs us down. Excess poundage, too many clothes, too many items on the wall, too many things in our drawers. I know whenever I do a purge of things in a drawer that I never use, there is a sense of being able to breathe easier.
The last few months, about once a week, I get into my closet and I ask: Is there something I can get rid of today? Usually, I can find one thing. I have a place where I keep these items for about a month to see if I ever regret putting it there … and I never have yet.
We are overloaded with STUFF.
I’m a little bit dreading the holiday season and wondering how I can bless my friends and family with something of value but not just one more thing to gather dust.
It’s not just physical objects that weigh us down. Some of us have more relationships than we can actually nurture. Often, we are trying to change more aspects of us than are possible. Even spiritually, if you focus on too many ideas or habits, you actually achieve none of them.
Less really is more. Remove one thing from your “to do” list, or your “should” category, or your garage … it will give you more energy to focus on what remains. Over time, this gives you distilled space and thought.
Should you wait until someone shows responsibility to give them more
or
Should you give them responsibility to grow them up into it?
Really, neither is right or wrong, but they do come from different mindsets. The first proposition really takes into account the overall safety of the venture. There is very little risk involved for either party. The latter requires that both risk. It may not work out well.
When I was younger, I definitely employed and preached the first; now that I am older, I feel like I might lean more toward the second. Because sometimes people don’t know what they’re capable of until someone trusts them with something. Whether they succeed or fail, either way, hopefully, they will grow. And growth seems more important than safety. Usually, they are in opposition to one another.
