“Would I have the guts to fire the client and people who don’t serve me?” 😬
Mike Morrison shared this story (with very engaging and dramatic comic-book panel visuals!)
New Year’s Eve.
10:30 PM.
Client screaming about font sizes being two pixels too small.
Instead of firing “Linda” (and we all know a “Linda” in our life who is a Professional Jerk), Mike crumbled, apologized and fixed it immediately.
He was burned out, and for quite a few years after that, the cycle continued*.
I’ve been there and maybe you have too.
The thing is – We think #burnout comes from working too hard.
It doesn’t.
It comes from saying yes too often.
👉🏻Yes to clients who drain us.
👉🏻Yes to projects that don’t fit.
👉🏻Yes to opportunities that chip away our focus.
Here’s Mike’s manifesto:
🍩 Take back control – Make clients convince YOU they’re worth YOUR time
🍩 Set unbreakable boundaries – No project is worth Christmas dinner with your laptop
🍩 Stop trading time for money – Your capacity to grind billable hours isn’t a business strategy
🍩 Kill comparisonitis – Run your own race with blinders on
🍩 MORE No’s FEWER Yes’s. Your yes’s should be scarce and valuable.
🍩 Redefine success – It’s whatever the hell YOU say it is, not what Instagram tells you
And here’s what resonated the most:
🌟”Success doesn’t need to be loud, impressive, or public. It just needs to be yours.”🌟
I think it’s time to write my own manifesto. 📝
I’m really enjoying this mind-blowing weekend at Chris Ducker‘s #LongHaulLeader event here in Cambridge!
What’s one boundary you need to set TODAY to protect your sanity?
*It was 3 years before Mike fired “Linda”! 😬
