28 Mar 2009, Posted by Matthew Reinbold in New Work Ways, 0 Comments
The Timing Will Never Be Perfect
Harvesting sunflowers in January is not normal. In fact, even in my parent’s well-traveled farming community running combines in several feet of snow was new territory. Harvester cabs are designed to keep the operator comfortable in the sweltering afternoons of July and August – they’re ill equipped to maintain temperatures in sub-zero weather. The snow hides the large gopher holes that can severely damage an axle. External repairs meant possible frostbite from omnipresent Dakota winds. Finally, the ridiculously long harvest was preventing my parents from coming to see their new Granddaughter, much to my selfish frustration. “But Mom,” I asked during one weekend phone conversation, “Why? Why not just cut your losses and try again next year?”
“Well,” she replied, “your father says it seems silly to leave $10,000 in the field just because its inconvenient“.
The timing will never be perfect. The right alignment of blue moons and serendipitous chance rarely happens. To pine threatens to waste a life instead of creating the one we want. Its a fact of life that my father knows and I’m still learning.
The past several weeks have been incredibly challenging. As I detailed in the The Hollywood Model my firm, Vox Pop Design, has a unique organizational model. Its set up to provide the maximum amount of flexibility at affordable rates. The dynamic nature requires a high degree of communication and coordination – arguably more than a conventional shop. This management of distributed, “free range” talent comes at a high time cost. And the rash of recent opportunity has strained the model to an uncomfortable degree. Its a situation where I’ve caught myself holding back on new initiatives more than I’d like – because I’m too busy, or I’m too tired, or the timing isn’t perfect.
I’ve seen much hand wringing about whether now is a good time to start a business. People loudly contemplate, as if the sound of their voice will embolden them, if they should change jobs. Starting a family, traveling to a foreign country, embracing new education – all are on hold because tomorrow may be a more comfortable transition. We’ve embraced our uncertainty and excuse the toil of working toward something better till later.
This weekend, I’m considering what I’ve been putting off. I’m coming to terms that the timing will never be perfect. I want to stop gaming forces beyond my control for a perfect synchronicity that doesn’t exist. By doing so the true risk/reward is presenting itself, unencumbered by the fears of today. And now the work begins anew.
What have you been waiting for? If you disregard some kind of romanticized time frame, do things change? How so?