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You'll Earn More Money When You Stop Working So Hard
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No doubt you've heard of bottle stoppers, show stoppers, and crime stoppers, but have you ever heard of a clock stopper?
During World War II, German bombs rained on England. Some of these bombs didn't detonate on impact; they wedged in the soil six feet deep or more and had detonation devices- ticking mechanical clocks. Britain's unexploded bomb (UXB) teams were deployed to unarm the detonation devices on the deadly bombs. To assist them in this delicate work, they used a powerful magnet called a clock stopper.
In a mechanical fashion, clock stoppers literally stopped time to prevent detonation and give the UXB team time to complete a safe disarming of the powerful bombs. No doubt, the UXB teams had nerves of steel.
You are probably like me and in spite of nerves of steel and a focus on productivity, we both dream about a clock stopper on busy days in business. The to do list is a half mile long in the morning and then interruptions, emergencies and crises develop during the day. By the close of the work day, it seems that the list is now a mile and a half long.
If only you could buy a clock stopper to "catch up" for just a few hours!
I suspect even the imaginative gadgeteers designing the mass of wizardry contained in Apple iPhones don't see a clock stopper as ever being an option. Buying time will remain a figure of speech since Time is the ultimate non-renewable resource.
Conceding to the inevitable passage of time and your seemingly endless work load, is there an alternative to stopping time?
I think so.
A solution for managing your busy-ness is to devote time, at least weekly, to remove yourself from the every day work of your business like lessons, training, boarders, and ask yourself strategic questions about your business activities.
- Why am I in horse business?
- What does my business look like when I'm successful?
- What am I doing that someone else could or should be doing?
- Who do I need to help me?
- When are the changes going to start?
When you can do this work away from the buzz of your farm or ranch, you've created your own substitute clock stopper. The strategic process requires concentration that you're seldom allowed when you are center stage running your business.
Get in the truck, drive a mile down the road and park under a shade tree if necessary.
Doing strategic work on a regular basis is important and crucial for your success and sanity.
As an alternative, consider this quote attributed to both Albert Einstein and Ben Franklin:
" The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
Your different results will appear once you make the opportunity to stop your own clock long enough to strategize your personal success.
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| Others Have Said |
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"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back."-Harvey MacKay
"Work expands to fill the time available for its completion."--Northcote Parkinson
"My spouse is my clock stopper."
--Anonymous
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Back At The Barn |
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No, you haven't been missing newsletters; I took a break from writing for a couple of weeks. A busy work schedule and a blocked writer's mind were my signals to take a writing break; clock stopping put into practice by the preacher.
During my break, the younger boys and I traveled to Saugerties, NY to visit my wife and the girls during their week long stay at the HITS horse show series. It's about a six hour trip and was a treat for us to all be together at the horse show. The HITS show grounds are gigantic. With stabling for up to 2000 horses, the grounds buzz with riders on horses, bicycles and golf carts. I had the opportunity to say hello and introduce myself to Tom Struzzieri, the visionary who created the HITS empire. He may be running a multi million dollar business, but I spotted him earlier in the day behind the wheel of huge water tanker truck filling in as a driver. That's hands-on management. I had to compliment Struzzieri on the strategic planning that resulted in a horse show grounds that accommodates thousands of people and their horses, drains excessive rain quickly and offers a food selection that would please anyone.
Opposed to my standard horse show breakfast of coffee and a stale doughnut, my custom built omelet by the omelet line chef was an outstanding breakfast on Saturday morning. |
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Speaking of: Rising feed and transportation costs, Budget Sensitive Clients, Falling Horse Values...
Is the horse industry in trouble?
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 I'll tackle these Hot topics as a Speaker for your next conference or meeting
Call or e-mail me about possibilities for your event.
Call me (716) 434-5371. | |
I talk with professional horsemen from all over each week about their businesses. Some I can help right away, some aren't quite ready and I refer some to others better suited to help them.
Phone or e-mail me to discuss your situation and the possibilities. The only thing that holds you from success is you.
Until next time,
Doug
Doug Emerson
Profitable Horseman  |
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Equine Genetics Seminar
August 26th, 2008 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Held at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
Ray Whelihan, Assistant
Professor at SUNY
Cobleskill's Equine program, has assembled an impressive slate of speakers for the Second Annual Professional Horse
Farm Managers Seminar
on Equine Genetics in
Saratoga Springs, NY.
What Can Genome Do For
You? Current and Future
Applications of Equine
Genomics
Dr. Ernest Bailey, PhD
What the Horse Owner
Should Know About Horse
Genomics
Dr. E. Gus Cothran, PhD
Lessons in Conservation
Genetics From The
Standardbred Horse
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