My client told me something the other day that made us both crack up.
He said that he constantly felt blindsided by his kid’s school pick up, and that it always disrupts his day.
When he told me this, I said, “Let me get this straight. You pick her up five days a week, right? And does the school randomly change the pick up time or is it the same every day?”
We both had a good laugh, because we saw the truth:
He’s feeling blindsided by something that happens like clockwork, 5 days a week.
You might be doing this in more subtle ways:
Relying on your clients to stick to timelines, even though they never do.
Banking on your friend to be on time, even thought she never is. (Oh, hey, it’s me.)
Expecting that your staff members won’t have any follow up questions for you, even though they always do.
Being surprised by your toddler’s tantrums, even though they happen multiple times per day.
Thinking your clients won’t make last-minute requests of you, even though they always do.
Take a minute, and be with the reality of your life.
Your job is to adequately anticipate these seemingly unexpected things, and plan for the inevitable.
Don’t plan for the picture-picture, best case scenario schedule, and then spend your time feeling annoyed, frustrated, and resentful.
Because when we’re feeling blindsided all the time, we never stop to actually face the truth, and actively decide what we’re willing to tolerate.
Only when you plan for the reality of your life can you start to make changes.
You might realize that you’re not willing to indulge last minute client requests anymore, so it’s time to put a new policy in place. You might want to hire a babysitter. You might create a manual for your staff, and make them check in before coming to you.
And here’s one last pro tip: Part of the reason that we get into trouble is because we focus on the anomalies, not the most common pattern.
The rare times that your client actually hits the planned timeline; your staff members solves their problem brilliantly on their own; or your toddler behaves perfectly all day? Your brain will want to notice these, and catalogue them as the norm. Don’t be fooled.
The Pique Coaching community is the perfect place to work on this.
It’s a judgment-free zone to get my hands-on help, so that you’re no longer blindsided by the expected.
When you join the Pique email list below, you’ll receive invitations to future Monday Hour One 5-Day Challenges and free Monday Hour One workshops.
You’ll also get the free guide: 5 Reasons Your Projects are Half-Finished Yet.
