According to Leonardo only the very creative need to never finish something - though maybe if coffee had been available in his time he would have completed more?
My week started with my camera dying moments before a live stream - boooo... never mind I can still paint so that's good 🤗☕☕💯
Love this post, Neela! The reality is business is never perfect, but if we map out the perfect strategy that's too rigid and that never accounts for change or the unpredictability of business, we will always be behind. Embrace the chaos! Thank you sis, happy Tuesday!
Too perfect... What a blow! He was right though, and this links perfectly into VUCA and thriving in the question mark as you put it. I hugely admire, by the way, that you've never openly pitched your business, you seem to be thriving simply because people look for you organically or it's all behind the scenes (I like sneaky sales) and every single blog you write attests to this ability!
A secret. I did a survey of my clients over the past 8 years. Only 10% are online and that's because those are interior designers 😂
I've been grateful to be able to build my business offline via referrals. I do only have 2 clients at the moment and they buy most of my time. The pivot is to do something more with medium, Substack and LinkedIn but I have no interest in coaching. 😂
I need to exit corporate though because I don't like the direction tech is going and honestly there is no hope for corporate culture Nadine. This was a longer comment than you bargained for 🤣
I bargained for the length that was appropriate to understand. I know you've been trying to ditch corporate for a while (and you know I'm behind this) so I hope you manage it. And I hope they never see this! Sounds like they aren't even at risk of happening on your inner thoughts here which is so cool.
Plenty you could do, if you ever wanted to, with those 3 channels. You could just monetise them, make us pay to read you (I guarantee people would pay) or accept ad sponsors... It doesn't have to be coaching!
This is so fabulous, Neela! It dovetails really nicely with reinvention tools I've recently been learning through the work of Nadya Zhexembayeva (I'll share more with you about that). I loved how you brought together VUCA and thriving in the question mark. Uncertainty can be our friend, too, when it allows our brain more flexibility across domains. Thanks for a good Tuesday morning read!
I saw your DMs but did not respond. I've not been on LinkedIn much today. It similar to closure. I don't know if closure is real. I need to write about this some time with regards to grief and loss. Thank you for always showing up here 🤗
You are a gift with your writing and insight. Don't worry about responding to me every time I comment. You're good, and you have a lot going on. Breathe and know you matter - and rest in that. Good night.
I'm way behind sending some love for the incredibleness which is you and your writing Neela! I've honestly never heard of VUCA, but I love the concept and the idea of it. I live in a state of "What if?!" I push the boundaries to what I think I'm capable of doing and what we can do to create actionable change. Having "all the D's" as my wife of 25 years laughs with me about, I can't have things unfinished, it will haunt me like that ghost you mentioned and send me down a rabbit hole of no return (unless of course there is some sort of resolution). I'm all for pivoting as well. As you mentioned that balance of direction and flexibility is key. The path isn't linear! Well written as always.
Thank you so much for the love Chason! I absolutely love how you live in a constant state of 'What if?'—it’s such a positive mindset for pushing boundaries and driving change. And I totally get you on the ‘all the D’s’ front—there’s something about leaving things unfinished that just nags at you, right? Jody sounds like she gets it too! And yes, pivoting and welcoming the non-linear path is all part of the ride. Appreciate your kind words—it made my day.
The best stories/experiences are always the open-ended ones. Ones that leave you curious and wanting to know more and leave you thinking, what will happen next.
Loved this piece, Neela! Have a fantastic evening. :)
This was a really fun read! Kind of reminds me of how basically all my consulting clients love to explain how their workflow works in theory and when I point out I’ve never seen it work like that during any of my visits, they’re like “all those 40 million times were just an exception!”—and yet I make exactly the same mistake in my own business, planning for an ideal state that never exists rather than figuring out how to live with the mess 🤣
"Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security." -John Allen Paulos
I think certainty and predictability are characteristics that give many people a sense of comfort (understandably) but once we take off the training wheels and learn that it's possible to ride a bicycle on two wheels, the possibilities of the open horizon beckons! #VUCAlife
As always, a wonderfully thought out, humorous article! I think most people will say some of their best experiences came from uncertainty - being laid off and pursuing a new path; embracing the role of a new, clueless parent; or accepting a position with "fluid" responsibilities. I was reading an article about fixed vs growth mindset earlier today, and I think it fits in with this scenario, too. If we leave room for the messy (and accept that it will get messy), we are embracing that growth mindset!
Brilliant Neela! 👏 Finding the sweet spot between rigidity and chaos is a huge challenge for all of us.
Your reference to ADHD reminds me of a great book by Thom Hartmann titled "ADHD: Hunters in a farmer's world" where he argues that hunter-gatherers survived by moving a lot ("hyperactivity") and shifting focus/scanning a lot ("distractability"). Only with a farming-in-place paradigm and education sitting in classrooms did we pathologize those traits.
My Medium membership ends tomorrow, so I'm glad I'll still get to "see" you here on Substack! ✌️
Oh I saw you left a comment there. Thank you. I will be repurposing the content over there so you theoretically won't be missing much 😂
A lot of my colleagues (engineers) have ADHD and I don't know enough about it to be able to support them so I will check out the book. Thank you so much for showing up here Baird 🙌
Art is never finished said Da Vinci (though he still pocketed the advance payment)
Advance payments pay for coffee or whisky David.
Hope you are having a good week ☺️
According to Leonardo only the very creative need to never finish something - though maybe if coffee had been available in his time he would have completed more?
My week started with my camera dying moments before a live stream - boooo... never mind I can still paint so that's good 🤗☕☕💯
Boooooo..
I have a note to check your YouTube channels tonight 😂😂
Love this post, Neela! The reality is business is never perfect, but if we map out the perfect strategy that's too rigid and that never accounts for change or the unpredictability of business, we will always be behind. Embrace the chaos! Thank you sis, happy Tuesday!
All the conventional advice they gave us was complete bullshit 😂
Hope you are having a good Tuesday bro.
Thank you for showing up here and for restacking 🙌
Too perfect... What a blow! He was right though, and this links perfectly into VUCA and thriving in the question mark as you put it. I hugely admire, by the way, that you've never openly pitched your business, you seem to be thriving simply because people look for you organically or it's all behind the scenes (I like sneaky sales) and every single blog you write attests to this ability!
A secret. I did a survey of my clients over the past 8 years. Only 10% are online and that's because those are interior designers 😂
I've been grateful to be able to build my business offline via referrals. I do only have 2 clients at the moment and they buy most of my time. The pivot is to do something more with medium, Substack and LinkedIn but I have no interest in coaching. 😂
I need to exit corporate though because I don't like the direction tech is going and honestly there is no hope for corporate culture Nadine. This was a longer comment than you bargained for 🤣
Thank you for showing up here Nadine 🙏
I bargained for the length that was appropriate to understand. I know you've been trying to ditch corporate for a while (and you know I'm behind this) so I hope you manage it. And I hope they never see this! Sounds like they aren't even at risk of happening on your inner thoughts here which is so cool.
Plenty you could do, if you ever wanted to, with those 3 channels. You could just monetise them, make us pay to read you (I guarantee people would pay) or accept ad sponsors... It doesn't have to be coaching!
This is so fabulous, Neela! It dovetails really nicely with reinvention tools I've recently been learning through the work of Nadya Zhexembayeva (I'll share more with you about that). I loved how you brought together VUCA and thriving in the question mark. Uncertainty can be our friend, too, when it allows our brain more flexibility across domains. Thanks for a good Tuesday morning read!
Hey Hans
I saw your DMs but did not respond. I've not been on LinkedIn much today. It similar to closure. I don't know if closure is real. I need to write about this some time with regards to grief and loss. Thank you for always showing up here 🤗
You are a gift with your writing and insight. Don't worry about responding to me every time I comment. You're good, and you have a lot going on. Breathe and know you matter - and rest in that. Good night.
I'm way behind sending some love for the incredibleness which is you and your writing Neela! I've honestly never heard of VUCA, but I love the concept and the idea of it. I live in a state of "What if?!" I push the boundaries to what I think I'm capable of doing and what we can do to create actionable change. Having "all the D's" as my wife of 25 years laughs with me about, I can't have things unfinished, it will haunt me like that ghost you mentioned and send me down a rabbit hole of no return (unless of course there is some sort of resolution). I'm all for pivoting as well. As you mentioned that balance of direction and flexibility is key. The path isn't linear! Well written as always.
Thank you so much for the love Chason! I absolutely love how you live in a constant state of 'What if?'—it’s such a positive mindset for pushing boundaries and driving change. And I totally get you on the ‘all the D’s’ front—there’s something about leaving things unfinished that just nags at you, right? Jody sounds like she gets it too! And yes, pivoting and welcoming the non-linear path is all part of the ride. Appreciate your kind words—it made my day.
Please give my regards to Jody and Keely :)
The best stories/experiences are always the open-ended ones. Ones that leave you curious and wanting to know more and leave you thinking, what will happen next.
Loved this piece, Neela! Have a fantastic evening. :)
I loved seeing you today sis :)
I will miss you, but I love what you are doing.
Thank you for restacking and for showing up here.
I had never heard of VUCA , very interesting concept. Definitely fitting for the world we live in today with all its uncertainty and constant change!
Hey Sophie
I plan to explore this concept more next year because we are living in volatility, and it's here to stay. How do we navigate the VUCA world?
I hope you are having a great week. It's almost Friday!
Thank you for stopping by!
Looking forward to reading more about this then 😊
This was a really fun read! Kind of reminds me of how basically all my consulting clients love to explain how their workflow works in theory and when I point out I’ve never seen it work like that during any of my visits, they’re like “all those 40 million times were just an exception!”—and yet I make exactly the same mistake in my own business, planning for an ideal state that never exists rather than figuring out how to live with the mess 🤣
Hey Anna
LOL
You made me laugh because this is so true.
They are living in an alternate reality, and sometimes we are, too.
Thank you so much for taking the time :)
*Curiosity guy entered the chat.* 😉
"Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security." -John Allen Paulos
I think certainty and predictability are characteristics that give many people a sense of comfort (understandably) but once we take off the training wheels and learn that it's possible to ride a bicycle on two wheels, the possibilities of the open horizon beckons! #VUCAlife
I love that bicycle analogy and that quote by John Paulos :)
VUCA is impacting us hard in 2024.
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment and to restack.
Thank you!
🙃🙃🙃🤗🤗🤗😘😘😘😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰
thank you! :)
As always, a wonderfully thought out, humorous article! I think most people will say some of their best experiences came from uncertainty - being laid off and pursuing a new path; embracing the role of a new, clueless parent; or accepting a position with "fluid" responsibilities. I was reading an article about fixed vs growth mindset earlier today, and I think it fits in with this scenario, too. If we leave room for the messy (and accept that it will get messy), we are embracing that growth mindset!
You summed this up very nicely, Karen.
This world is so unpredictable that adaptability is key.
If we are seeking a "sure" thing, we will be super frustrated.
Happy Wednesday to you, and thank you for taking the time :)
I’m gonna see is I can embrace this better! Thanks for the reminder.
It takes getting used to, but it is 100% doable.
Thank you for supporting and restacking my article.
Brilliant Neela! 👏 Finding the sweet spot between rigidity and chaos is a huge challenge for all of us.
Your reference to ADHD reminds me of a great book by Thom Hartmann titled "ADHD: Hunters in a farmer's world" where he argues that hunter-gatherers survived by moving a lot ("hyperactivity") and shifting focus/scanning a lot ("distractability"). Only with a farming-in-place paradigm and education sitting in classrooms did we pathologize those traits.
My Medium membership ends tomorrow, so I'm glad I'll still get to "see" you here on Substack! ✌️
Oh I saw you left a comment there. Thank you. I will be repurposing the content over there so you theoretically won't be missing much 😂
A lot of my colleagues (engineers) have ADHD and I don't know enough about it to be able to support them so I will check out the book. Thank you so much for showing up here Baird 🙌
I sometimes feel like I am collecting the missing pieces of the puzzle on my way and one day I’ll leave without seeing the whole picture. 👀
VUCA VUCA is now playing in my head 🎶😂
Enjoy your week Neela 🤗
I think yucca 😂
Yucca chips 🤣
I need to talk about VUCA some more.
Imagine if we each had our own jigsaw puzzle of 10,000 pieces 🧩
Hope you are having a good week Salima. Thank you for showing here and for restacking 🙏