On Focus - (and These are a Few of my Favorite Things)

September 19, 2019

Curt discusses the Bear family’s new kittens, FOMO, and the importance of focus and perspective in this month’s blog.

The weekend after Labor Day saw a pair of new additions to the Bear clan!  Pictured are Barley and Bootsie - a pair of kittens we adopted through the Fort Collins Cat Rescue.  They are the sweetest little pair, brother and sister, and they’re getting along great with our dog Tucker.  

Sadly, Tucker was a source of our cat woes in recent years.  Our long-haired tortoiseshell cat Hazel disappeared last summer.  She was convinced that Tucker wanted to kill and eat her from the first day we got him 3 years ago (though he exhibited no such desires), and after escaping our home several times only to be found weeks later she finally escaped for good.  Months later, we put our 18-year old cat Tiger to rest, and with a cat-allergic exchange student moving in soon and a busy summer planned we became a cat-free home for most of a year. 

For me, cats are ok...but I’m a dog guy at heart.  That said, cats are among Jill’s favorite things, and who am I to keep her from such happiness?  We are Team Bear, and we are a say yes kind of family. Though I am mostly indifferent to having cats in my home, I can find joy in Jill’s happiness.  It requires that I adjust my perspective to better consider her needs and desires, and once I do that it’s clear that cats in the home is a big win for Team Bear.  Besides - kittens are among my favorite things! - their curiosity is wonderful to behold in the early months, and it’s such a short season...

On topic of favorite things, I’m sitting in my backyard as I write this post.  It’s a cool early-fall morning, just after daybreak, and I’ve got the sound of running water in my ear from our newly-built backyard fountain.  I’ve got a hot cup of coffee beside me, and the weekend ahead of me. No big plans or obligations - another of my favorite things!  

Like most people I have a lot of favorite things.  I love hiking and biking, riding motorcycles and playing ping pong.  I love to travel and meet new people and to share ideas with new and old friends.  I love telling stories and listening to live music, eating great food with friends, and sunny patios with cold drinks.  I love you Fort Collins!  

Sometimes I feel I have so many favorite things that I have trouble choosing between them!  My name is Curt and I have FOMO! I want to do all the things, but I can’t - I’m a finite creature and must choose where to spend my time and dollars.  

The same is true when one is building a small business enterprise - and often even more complicated.  A small business is a kind of machine, with lots of moving parts...and often these parts are people, with lots of moving parts of their own.  Sometimes parts of the business begin to fail and must be rebuilt, or a new product or service must be developed to meet client demand, or maybe the owner wants to finally take a vacation!  The creator of that business, the entrepreneur, often wants to do all the things! - but just like me, she must choose where to spend her time and dollars as she too is a finite creature.  

At LoCo Think Tank, we say we provide Perspective, Accountability, and Encouragement.  For me, it’s the perspective that I love the most - of the three, it’s my favorite thing.  Accountability is good, and I recognize my need for it - but I don’t love it. I’m a gifted encourager, but it’s not the main reason I’ve attended to a growing LoCo.  For me, it’s the perspective that I love, and the focus that comes from it. When you’re building a small business enterprise deciding where to focus is essential - but difficult.  How are my systems performing in finance, and marketing, and human resources? What manner of engagement do I have with the key leaders in my business? How do I go about training, and designing a useful systems manual?  What vendor should I use for this technology need? How are my business peers tackling their similar responsibilities?

This is starting to sound a bit like a LoCo Think Tank commercial, but it’s my blog so I do what I want!  Seriously though, you can’t focus on all the things when you’re building a life or a small business enterprise!  We believe one of the fastest ways to impact your personal or business development to invite the perspective of others into your life, to help you see yourself clearly and help identify what you should focus on.  You don’t have to get your perspective at LoCo, but apparently you read all the way to the end today, so we hope you enjoyed our LoCo Perspective - On Focus, and reading about a few of my favorite things!

- Curt Bear

LoCo Think Tank Founder

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