MAKE EVERY SMALL BUSINESS COMMITMENT COUNT

We’ve all done it – overextended ourselves, that is. That I’d done it myself became crystal clear to me recently.
Over the past 6 months, my husband and I explored an incredible opportunity for which we were both hopeful. It meant that, temporarily, we would be elsewhere. As part of evaluating this finite change of course, we listed all of the extracurriculars from which we would step away.
I was shocked by my list. Every single thing on it was something I did not want to be doing, had no passion for, was contributing little to and had gleaned no meaningful business from. It isn’t that these things were bad things – we were not the best fits for one another.
When things did not work out the way we hoped, I realized that not only did we have to suck up our profound disappointment, but I had a lot of infinitely less fun conversations to have. Now, I couldn’t blame my exit on a temporary absence of geography. I had to be tactfully truthful. I am still dealing with the fall out, but I know I have taken the best long-term business steps for both me and these various groups.
As a small business owner, take 15 minutes today to perform the following quick and dirty exercise. Like me, it is probably overdue for you, too.

1. List each extracurricular commitment you have. This includes any membership, board position, volunteer role, organized sport and so forth.
2. Underneath each one, list specific items of fulfillment that you have gleaned from each involvement in the past 12 – 18 months. Fulfillment items can be money, serving the greater good, being recognized as a leader and the like.
3. I know you have one that has nothing redeeming underneath it. Set a date within the next week, write your resignation letter, and submit it by this time next week.

Tasks like these are always easy to rationalize and put off until later, ultimately benefiting no one. Take 15 minutes to deal with this one today. If you’re like me, you won’t encounter it again for, oh, a few months. Enjoy your Tuesday.