Impermanence

Business can be an uncertain thing at times can't it?

In fact life can be an uncertain thing full-stop! 

Entropy, central to the second law of thermodynamics, states that everything tends towards decay rather than growth over time.  Everything changes.  Nothing is fixed.

Me looking aghast as things change, yet again.

Yet whether we're employed or work for ourselves, we tend to spend a lot of time trying to create some kind of long-term predictability.

A consistent rhythm to the week or month.

A long-term and stable pipeline of work.

But as I said at the start of this piece, life is by it's very nature, shifting and unpredictable.

Unforeseen changes in the economy affect our businesses in ways we can't control.

Clients change their minds.

Suppliers go out of business.

We get older and our health, responsibilities and aspirations change.  Someone wiset than me said that "the only constant is change" and they were absolutely right.

Trying to build a stable life or business upon these shifting sands is nigh on impossible.  And stressing out over trying to do so is a recipe for disappointment and unhappiness.

"But wait a minute!" I hear you cry "Aren't you always banging on about the importance of long-term thinking?  How do we do that when the world around us changes so much?"

Well yes I do and I believe in the positive results that long-term, strategic thinking yields.  But it is not about looking into the future and predicting every step of the journey to come.  That way heartbreak lies!

It's fine to have an idea of what you want your life of business to look like in the future.  It's even OK, sometimes desirable, if that vision is very specific.  It's a target to shoot for.  A bright light to draw you on.

But your plans to get there have to be ADAPTABLE!

Flexibility and adaptability are two of the most important aspects of a successful long-term plan.  The acceptance from the outset that it's not going to be a linear journey.  That there will be rocks in the road that you can't see just yet.

The ability to be focused on your destination, yet resilient to changes is critical to that long-term plan.  

To use the analogy of a journey, you might have to stop to deal with a mechanical problem to your vehicle.  Or take a detour around some roadworks.  But the most important thing is that you keep moving towards the destination you've set yourselves.

And if you never quite reach it, or if that destination needs to change?  

Well that's all part of the same adaptability and acceptance of the impermanence of life that you need to foster in yourselves and your teams.