How often to you spend time worrying about things you can’t control?

What about stuff that, ultimately, doesn’t matter?

In Season 1, Episode 3 of Schitt’s Creek Johnny Rose decides he needs to deal with the town sign.

Now, to be candid, the sign has problems. But the problems aren’t Johnny’s to deal with.

When we’re stuck, when the future is uncertain, and when we’re trying to get a semblance of order in our lives we can often latch onto something that’s not really important and make a big deal of it.

And that’s what happened to Johnny.

His life had just been turned upside down. He lost his vast fortune. All his income has dried up. He found himself living in conditions he despised and his family life was full of turmoil. So he looked for something that he could do even though it doesn’t really matter.

Can you see that it’s all a distraction? Johnny could have put his efforts into re-building his life. Instead he puts it into changing the town sign.

And what does he get in the end? An addition to the town sign that makes it even worse!

As a comedy the writing in this episode is wonderful. As a commentary on how we often live our lives it’s poignant and sad.

Six months ago in March of 2020 our lives were turned upside. For nearly everyone, life felt out of control. And I watched many of my friends, colleagues, and family members try desperately to control something in there lives.

This is a lesson we continually have to reinforce with our teenage daughter, but the moral of the story is: don’t try to control things that don’t matter.

Even if Johnny was successful in changing the town sign would it have improved his life in any way? Not a bit. It would have had zero impact on his finances, health, relationships, spirituality, or vocation. It might have given him a temporary sense of happiness, but it wouldn’t have brought true joy.

Do we focus on the unimportant in our businesses as well? 100%. I know I fall into that trap continuously.

In the book The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It Michael Gerber argues that many businesses work in the business rather than on the business. People focus on the things that don’t really matter.

To work on the business is to build the product or service. It is to generate traffic. It is to build relationships. It is to sell.

Compare that with working in the business. When we work in the business we get “busy” fiddling around with our websites, spending inordinate amount of time on social media (honestly, how much work has that truly brought you? Don’t just tell me you’ve gotten opportunities to collaborate, perform, write, network, or develop a relationship. Use the metric of building your business. If it’s actually working for you—and you’re business is growing and your cash flow is increasing —I’ll apologize.), or spending time daydreaming and thinking instead of doing.

Examine your personal life and your business. What are you focusing on that doesn’t matter? Here’s some ways to think about it:

  • If you accomplished what you’re perseverating on would it move the ball forward for you?
  • Will what you’re doing grow your network in a meaningful way?
  • Are you spending time complaining and living in negativity?
  • Will this thing you’re focused on help you generate sales and increase your cash flow?

Don’t be like Johnny. He was working in the business. Instead, work on the business.

 

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