Hi @Sofia - thanks for your question (and all your support over the years). The three lessons are all interrelated and dance around the same thing, which I find hard to properly articulate, so consider them pointers
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Preserve momentum at all costs
a) In the early days it can feel like you’re on a roll and nothing can stop you
b) But choosing the wrong focus or getting sidetracked by things that aren’t important can stall momentum
c) This is ruinous for morale and can kill the ineffable “energy”/flow you find when you’re on a roll
d) It’s not obvious at first unless you have your radar out for it
e) By the time you’re aware it’s happened it’s way harder to correct
f) The first time it happened to us I sleep-walked into it
g) Stay vigilant: focus, focus, focus! -
Surround yourself with the right people
a) This is a far lonelier journey than I had anticipated at first
b) Dealing with toxic co-workers is a huge distraction and nobody has time for distractions in this game
c) Great people are “taps” not “drains”, in other words some people add to your culture, others take away from it
d) Nobody has a great day every day, but by surrounding yourself with people who value the same things as you, you can share the burden -
A smart person once told me to “embrace the chaos”
a) It was you
b) It’s easy to become overwhelmed, worry about things that are outside of your control
c) Steven Covey’s ‘circle of influence’ and ’circle of concern’ apply here
d) Understanding what you can influence and what you can’t was a truly liberating revelation for me
e) Understanding what you can influence allows you to maximise your efforts on things that you can change instead of wasting energy and brain cycles carrying the baggage of worry about things you can’t