LEARNING TO RESPECT THE PROCESS OF CREATION

I love it when a project is done. Finished. Finito.  If you are like me, you get a little buzz off of getting things done and checking things off the list.  Oh, it feels so good! 

The problem is, that a project done quickly is not always as good as one done progressively, incrementally over time.  

It breaks my heart to say it, but I am learning that slow is often better than fast.  

People always ask me about my hobbies.  I tend to stare at them blankly and wish I were cooler.  I can fib and say skiing and hiking and such.  Those used to be my hobbies.   

These days, I kinda work and work some more.  That I what happens when you run two businesses.  But the truth is that I do have a hobby, it’s just not very sexy.  

I LOVE landscape design.  Note, I did not say gardening.  I love taking a space, mapping it out, picking plants based on their characteristics and colors and creating something where nothing was before. 

I have always loved landscape design.  When my husband and I bought a house four years ago that had been remodeled inside but absolutely neglected outside, I didn’t realize it, but my dreams came true! 

I had a large lot and a horrendous blank slate to work with.  But there was a catch.  To do our yard right would literally have cost $150,000.  Not exaggerating. 

Even if I could afford that, paying $150,000 for landscaping does not align with our values.  So, we did it ourselves with the help of our handyman. 

It has been an excruciatingly slow process of fits and starts.  I won’t break it down into steps, but we joke that we are on Phase 42.   

Now that the final touches are coming together we are in awe of what we have created together.  Slowly.  

My realization is that had I had a spare $150,000 to spend and we hired someone to do it right away, it would not have been as beautiful and functional as it is now. 

Through the process of designing and creating the vision changed and evolved.  The vision I had day one is far inferior to what we ultimately created.  We just didn’t know. 

-We didn’t know what would work. 

-We didn’t know what we really wanted.   

-We didn’t know how the pieces would fit together.  

This has become a clear metaphor for me as I think about any complex goal or project. 

My practice and processes where built over time in response to real events in our business.  Had we sat down in one day and tried to create it, we never could have imagined all the nuances that are imbedded in our processes today.  

We have been shopping for a small building to buy for years.  8 years!?  If we had succeeded in buying one of the early buildings, we would not be happy now.  In the  time the process had taken our business has grown, our budget has grown  and what we are looking for has evolved.  I am so grateful we failed early on! 

The Intentional Advisor continues to evolve.  Day one it was 1:1 coaching.  When I realized that wasn’t scalable with the little free time I have, I began to build courses.  Now it is a full practice management curriculum. Never complete, but continuing to evolve. 

My goal-oriented self wants to knock things out and get them done.  As I sat in my backyard drinking my coffee this morning, I realized that every great thing in my life has been a slow, meandering evolution that has taken years to complete. 

I congratulate you for making it this far in a blog about landscaping!  But, I think you can see where I am going with this.   

I want you to start thinking in terms of this “iteration” of your business. Take the pressure off to step into the grand vision today.   

Just ask yourself, “Where am I going and what is my next step on the path?” 

A few years from now, you will look up and be amazed at what you have built and it will be better than you ever imagined! 

With Purpose,

-Lucila

Iteration isn’t glamorous and no one makes montages about years of painstaking improvement.  But it works!  

I know that staying the course over years or decades can be challenging.  What seemed like a great path early on can be exhausting if you are traveling it alone.   

That is why I created the IMPLEMENTATION Monthly Mastermind Group Coaching program. 

The IMM is a small community of advisors who are all doing the work.  We come together monthly and I share my latest business ideas as The Intentional Advisor continues to evolve.  We also celebrate wins, problem solve and share ideas as a group. 

If you want to be part of a community of like-minded advisors who want to build profitable, purpose driven Advice-based practices, I invite you to join the IMPLEMENTATION Monthly Mastermind.   

You can get your first month free here:  

IMPLEMENTATION Monthly Mastermind