Father’s Day Wisdom from Nancy’s Pop

I’ll start off these real-life-words of Father’s Day Wisdom by saying: I don’t thiiiink my dad reads this blog. 

Question mark? 

If he did, I suspect that he might be surprised by its vulnerable and personal tone, considering his long career in industrial-scale printing.

He’s a curious fellow and a learner though, so I’ll use this anecdote of Father’s Day wisdom to see if he’s been taking a peek now and again by sharing a personal anecdote.

Sometime around 2005, I received some reassurance from Pops, as a result of my world crumbling around me (the world of a hormonal college student, at least).

I was privileged enough to have my Master’s degree paid for, thanks to athletics, so I chose to stay on immediately after undergrad (instead of getting work experience first, which was a big decision to begin with).

At least that was the plan – until it wasn’t anymore. I learned near the end of undergrad that the scholarship was depleted. And while other universities were recruiting me, I couldn’t find another program I wanted. I hadn’t been interviewing and would be totally behind relative to my then-graduating peers…and…and…and… how could I possibly start “life” this way!?

To which my father said: 

Your worst-case scenario is still good.

Earth-shattering, right? To an outsider, and any parent really, it’s completely obvious. But I didn’t have the ability to see it, embarrassingly so, during my weeks of downwards spiral. 

On the surface it was an exercise in perspective. I didn’t have it, and my father brought it to me.  He was really telling me: you’ve prepared to manage this setback:

1. Practice

I’d been living the life of a division 1 athlete for years.  Aside from studies and other extracurriculars ;), training was pretty much it. I cared about the sport a lot and I’d built the muscle mass, stamina and mental toughness so that others sought me out.

I recently had a client tell me they were really spending a lot of time in their creative zone, practicing. These types of comments make my day because all day long, we nudge people to embrace: “structure creates freedom.” 

When a business knows their income-generating work that feels great, and they dial in on it, they’re actually creating space for creativity and practice of their art. Not just practice every once and a while, but dedicated practice that reminds them of why they started the business in the first place. It’s the practice of an art that ultimately makes people (like college athletes ;)) and businesses, sought-after.

2. Seek Objectivity

I asked many people in my network for advice (not just my father). They were the right people to ask, and I was getting good advice.

If you’re an Ellevated Outcomes client, you may have heard us refer to ourselves as your outsourced strategy department. There is a reason (surprise, surprise) why we use the word department. Aside from having a bench of superpowers and a process to leverage them on your behalf, we are just one of multiple advisors we encourage you bring on. The best businesses have a strategic, diverse board of advisors, and CEOs are not afraid to ask for help.

3. Design a Plan

I worked with academic advisors and professors to know exactly what I wanted to study.  While it felt limiting at the time of this setback, in the scheme of things, the plan was an asset.  

If you’re an advisory client of Ellevated Outcomes, you have a plan for your business; and if you’re on our Digital Platform, you’re designing your annual plan (congrats!). In my case, I was able to say no to distracting opportunities because I knew what I wanted. It brought focus to a disorganized situation and kept my eye on the prize.

There have been times in later life where my worst-case scenarios were actually not-so-good. Even so, I’ve returned to his advice to ground myself in how I’m already prepared to handle it.

In closing, I believe that “fathers” come in all shapes and sizes, and “Father’s Day wisdom” may come from our biological fathers… or not. Fathers can be men with children, men without, women, teachers, friends, or authors. So this week, let’s celebrate each and every one of them – all of the Pops out there, who have helped us see that our worst case scenarios are often still good, not by chance, but because of preparation.

If you’re a papa-small-business-owner, and you know deep down that you need an outside, objective advisor 😉 who can help with structure, sustainability, or hiring people for your business, let’s talk!