Peace and play…

Today, during practice with a very busy CEO in the making, he opened our 7am practice with a serious look on his face, a serious tone in his voice, and a serious slouch in the shoulders as he settled into the comfortable chair beside me. He kinda grimaced anticipating the punch he felt was coming from his unfinished PA.

Instead, he got a curious question about his business and busyness. After listening to him explain his 14 hour days and weekend wanderings, I reminded him of the power of finishing the hard stuff, first. I talked to him a bit about why he’s busy as shit vs. busy as he wants to be. He is not finishing the tough tasks first. He, much like most, is working from the top down instead of the bottom up.

Do the hard stuff down below, first, I challenged him. Get shoot in your eyes about who you are, what you believe, how you want to live and work, and all the big why questions. Next, get clarity of your work’s aim, your opus. Once the hard fought clarity comes both inner and outer aims, you can begin to put PA into place that leads to PD (productive disciplines). Once you get yourself PD seared, you are as busy as you want. PD’s are freakin’ magic. These don’t come easily or cheaply. They require discipline, really difficult discipline. Once they’re seared, however, they just get done, kinda like falling out of bed in the morning (if you’re a morning person). I define my opus simply as “peace and play.”

The world, remember, is full of people who’ve chosen peace and pay. In other words the world has chosen to keep quiet and keep getting a paycheck. Funny, this usually ends up with Big pay, Big position, Big power and busy as shit. Normal.

My client? He’s headed down below. He’s writing as am I. He’s gaining clarity within and rediscovering what he already knew. There is power in his pen. His version of peace and play is coming a few rinses from today. Are you as busy as you want or busier than shit? Are you headed toward peace and play or buying the lie of peace and pay? Don’t trust your perspective, ask your bride, brother, best friend, husband, team, or teen…