From Losing Time to Changing Behaviors

In my field I often encounter very driven people who put spiritual and emotional health on hold in order to spend more time and energy on working towards financial gain and vocational success. Parents implicitly (and sometime explicitly) teach their kids that educational success is the only thing that matters. Dads work long hours and barely even see their kids.  The problem is, time never stops.  We waste much of our life rushing to success while missing being fully alive in the present.  We can gain success in business and live our lives empty because we have neglected the things that really matter.

I have a confession. I have been losing time. As I mentioned in the last blog entry, I started a business.  The idea was that I would come home from work, play with the family, eat, read books with the kids, and help get the kids in bed. Next I would use the time I formally used to study for my MDiv to work on my business. School assignments have a distinct beginning and end. Running a business never ends. There are always more things to do.  I found my mind racing at all hours of the night. I would finally get to sleep but then sleep late.  I would miss mornings reading the Bible with my boy. I would be distracted during the day when I should have been fully focused on being with my family. I have been losing time.

While we cannot go back in time, we can change behavioral patterns. We have the choice to say no to good things to make room for the best things. I am still committed to getting this business off the ground.  However, I am creating stronger boundaries so that I do not miss out on time with my family. Here are the steps I am taking to make healthier decisions.

• Delete Facebook and Twitter off of my iPhone (at least, for a few weeks)
• Establish more reasonable business goals for each week
• Remember that unachieved goals do not cause the earth to explode
• Establish consistent work hours during the week

It's funny that changing behavioral patterns requires simple goals.  It isn't rocket science.  But is also requires discipline.  It requires letting one's desire to have it all together.  It requires the awareness of one's limitations.

Interestingly enough, there are many studies out there that suggest that taking care of emotional, physical, and relational health can actual lead to more productivity.  Success and health are not mutually exclusive.  In his book, Becoming a Coaching Leader, Daniel Harkavy shares tons of stories of people becoming very successful while living a life of balance.  He also offers many tools to help people create a healthy life trajectory.  Read it today.

Do yourself and those around you a favor.  Slow down.  Don't take yourself so seriously.  Drink a cup of coffee slowly.  Breathe deeply.  Embrace your loved ones more often.  Laugh more.  And ultimately, don't lose any more time.

The Startup - Post one

A few years ago I blogged about business ideas. Here is the blog of the ideas I have that I probably will never do.  A few weeks ago a buddy asked me if I'd be interested in working with him on a startup.  I said, "Heck ya!"  The big difference this time is my friend actually has experience in the field.  He has already taken a company like this one and helped it grow it's revenue by over 800 percent.  That does not mean we will be successful.  But that does mean we have a higher chance of being successful with this venture than I do when I blog but do nothing (did you follow that).

So here I am, working on Articles of Organization and an Operational Agreement for our budding L.L.C.  My goal is to finalize these documents in the next two weeks and file them with the Secretary of State by December 1.  I finally get to put my undergrad degree to work!  If this works I will be the CFO.  If it does not work, I will be the friend who looks at numbers and legal documents.  Let's be honest, I can't call myself the CFO until we make at least $5.

Things I have learned this week:
1.  Sabbaths are still important
2.  Startups are tough...especially when you do not quit your real job (and when you are still in school and have a baby at the same time)
3.  L.L.C.'s sound sound kind of sketchy
4.  I have a lot of good friends who are willing to give me free advice
5.  Most of our idea breaks no "intellectual property" laws

Business Ventures

I'm always dreaming up new business ideas. Some are ok, some sound great but would probably never work, and others I just may try before I die. At the risk of losing all of my potential income I thought I'd share some of my ideas.

Boring Ideas:
Make and sell items you'd find at a farmer's market (kettle corn, goat cheese, and knitted clothes). Purchase a car wash, snow-cone stand, billboard space, or a coffee shop.

Fun ideas that I'll never do:
1. Open a dollar pancake shop - Three types of batter, 4 types of toppings, eggs and meat on request. Pancakes are $1 each, toppings are $.25 per topping per pancake. Meat is $1 per two slices. Eggs are a dollar each.
2. Do-it yourself carpentry shop - Think Kinkos for wood working. Have classes like "make your own table." Charge a nominal fee for storage. Charge by the cut or by the hour for "drop-ins."
3. Bio-fuel/solar powered landscaping company - This actually has three parts. Part one, a business that makes bio fuel. Part two, a business that makes bio-fuel powered and/or solar powered lawn equipment. Part three, a business that uses the products from the other two businesses to run a landscaping business.
4. Corn Maze - Buy a bunch of land outside of Houston and create a HUGE corn maze around Halloween time.
5. Bikes for kids in need (non-profit)- I thought about collecting a bunch of old bikes and having people volunteer to repair them. We'd then give them to kids who can't afford bikes or sell them for cheap. There is an organization that does this in Portland. I won't do this because I don't know anything about bikes...let's be honest.
6. Cheap Computers for low to no income (non-profit)- As information continues to become digitized people unable to access a computer are falling behind. This company would operate kind of like Tom's Shoes. I'd sell a computer at full price and use 100% of the proceeds to make other computers and sell them for an extremely low price. Much like the bike program, I won't ever do this because I don't know anything about computers.

Fun ideas that I may do:
1. Renovate an old house and turn it into a bed and breakfast.
2. Make wooden boats in my garage during my free time and sell them (a friend from Portland already does this).
3. Training program for immigrants (non-profit) - This would be a three year program that lodges immigrants, teaches them classes on American culture, language, and financial management, and trains them in a trade. We would probably run side businesses employing the residents to help fund the training. At the beginning, they would not get paid much but their lodging and food would be free. By the end, they would make a full wage but they would have to pay full price for their food and lodging.
4. Short-term Missions Organization (non-profit)- There are already a ton of these. All of them have particular strengths. However, I don't know of any that do a good job of a) equipping people in need to help themselves b) helping the participants learn the social injustices that can lead to poverty c) helping the participants realize they are there to LEARN from the people in need and NOT simply serve them. I want participants to walk away with a deeper understand of the gospel, a better understanding of social injustice, a higher respect for those in "need" and a more missional approach to EVERY aspect of life.
5. Thrift Store for Food (non-profit)- I keep hearing reports that programs like food banks are a problem in the long run. They tend to make people dependent and unable to provide for themselves. Why not take a bunch of food donations and sell them for cheap? That way, people would still have access to cheap food but they'd also have to work a bit to get it. Sure, we can have programs for people who are unable to provide for themselves (children, disabled). But for those who CAN work we can create a system that doesn't end up hurting them in the long run.

That's all I can think of right now...I swear I had like 10 more.