There’s No Spoon, and There’s No Normal, Either

“Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth.

There is no spoon.

Then you’ll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.”

The Matrix never stops giving.

Last week we talked about what good looks like, and how important it is to keep that in mind when working on your business. In the pursuit of good, though, we sometimes end up pursuing what good looks like for others and not ourselves. Trying to fit the mold of normal that books talk about. But much like the spoon, there is no normal.

Normal is a myth.

At best, normal is a concept that helps us understand the middle of the road in aggregate. In aggregate.

When you’re standing in a room full of your peers, feeling like you must be the odd woman out, that your firm is unusual in its abnormality, it’s easy to assume you’re the only one. In truth, every single one of them is abnormal. They’ve got health problems, and family problems. They’re afraid they won’t make payroll every month. They’re not very good at one aspect of their business, or at serving clients, or at being a partner. They manage their time well, and they manage their time poorly. Some businesses are excellent and run like a well-oiled machine without needing any guidance, and some will go out of business before the New Year.

Every one of you individually is abnormal, but in aggregate, you’re all normal.

In a world where that’s true (and it is, in every sphere you find yourself in), how do you plot your course to success? How do you make a concerted effort to move in a positive direction when your goals might be based on a figment of the imagination?

You define what success looks like for you. You define your good. And you create milestones and a path to get there that you’re capable of navigating.

This week alone I’ve talked to people who have successful firms with over a dozen employees considering hiring more. People who use virtual assistants to help with their operational work because they wanted to scale but didn’t want full-time employees. People who have contract attorneys to help with their overflow. And people who want to get help but just aren’t quite there yet.

That’s what normal looks like.

Success is different for each of them. And the first step to achieving that success, for each of them, is knowing and accepting that their definition of success, their future vision of their firms, is unique to them. This is yours, and, as such, your path to reach that success necessarily looks different than everyone else’s path to success in the room.

In the corporate world, many people share a vision of success, and their path to success runs parallel and eventually collides with the paths of their peers. Many people want to be a manager, to be a director, to be a VP, to RUN THE WORLD! But it’s like the Highlander. There can be only one.

But in our world, in the world of small financial advisory firms and law firms, you get to decide. And that decision paves the path ahead of you. When you dream about what your firm could look like, what you want it to be in five years or ten, what does that look like? What are the elements that jump out at you?

Are you managing everything on your own with a little help along the way? Someone to answer the phones or handle your calendar? Maybe you’re at the head of a team of highly motivated, savvy personnel, all delivering the best service imaginable? Do you only do work that you love? Only work with clients you enjoy or cases that challenge you? How many are you able to handle at once? What makes that possible?

Do you throw large holiday parties and celebrate every win? Do your peers hold you in high regard? Do they refer their own family members to you?

With that specific image in mind, with all the different facets you imagined … what’s the first step to take down that path? How can I help you get there?