Forcing It

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

– Lao Tzu

Dear Reader,

This weekend I came across a photo from a few years ago.

It was tied to the largest single investment I’d ever made in my business, a six-figure marketing engagement I was certain would take me to the next level.

I’ve always been willing to bet on myself, even at large numbers. And I was fully committed to this one.

But looking back, the warning signs were there before it even began.

In the lead-up, I kept following up – when can we start, when can we start. I was pushing to get going before anything had naturally come together. I told myself that was just enthusiasm. Really, I was forcing it.

And when it finally started, I felt like I’d accomplished something simply by getting on board. The excitement of beginning masked the fact that nothing was actually flowing. The work never found its rhythm. The results never came. Looking back, it was the wrong time, for them, and for me.

To be clear, this wasn’t about giving up. It was about forcing something into existence before its time, ignoring the quiet signals that it wasn’t ready.

While the timing may have been off, the learning was still there. Today, I’m building much of that same marketing, on my own terms. And this time, it’s flowing. In-house, with far more clarity, gaining real momentum. Same direction. Completely different timing.

The difference isn’t the work. It’s that I’m no longer forcing it.

My question for you this week:

Where in your life are you forcing the issue, pushing for an outcome that might move more freely if you loosened your grip?

Sit with that.

– Ken