1. Because there is just some shit you just shouldn’t have to do yourself.
2. And sometimes, someone else loves and is really good at the stuff you don’t want to do. So it makes sense to focus your best efforts on what you love and is the best use of your time, and let those people who are good at the other stuff do that.
See, the thing with me is that I’m generally good at everything. I’m not being smarmy, and I’m certainly not saying I’m the best at everything, but I’m actually one of those people you might call an all-rounder. Seriously, I won the Caltex Best All-rounder Award when I graduated from high school. And another similar award when I graduated from University along the lines of “best results across the entire range of subjects” (otherwise known as the Best All-rounder Award but they tried to fancy it up, perhaps to sound more academic).
I always thought this was a good thing, until one day I heard the saying about “jack-of-all trades, expert at none” or something like that (I will admit I am not particularly good at accurately remembering quotes nor do I excel at recalling people’s names when I’ve been introduced to more than two people at once and some exercises challenge my coordination beyond reason (I absolutely cannot swing one arm forward in a circle and one arm backwards in circle simultaneously. I did challenge three other people to do this today to prove I am not the only person who sux at this and they could all do it, so I’m thinking I suck at this)). I am not good at sucking at things. Which is why, I think, I’ve always been a best all-rounder. But for my life to work I need to focus my best efforts where I’m an expert, or where I can create expertise, instead of always trying to do everything because I’m capable of it.
I can actually do my own bookkeeping. I have done it for our farm business since my 18 year old was a 7 year old. I can use numerous types of accounting software. I worked as a Rural Financial Counselor for 3 years. There’s no doubt it is possible. But the thing is with me is that if I do that stuff for more than 15 minutes a week it drains me beyond all drained-ness. The white of my eyes are showing, and my neck is all tight and I’m hating computers and figures and money and all that stuff. But my bookkeeper, apart from being a beautiful and amazing lady, doesn’t get like that about it. I asked her the other day; just to make sure I’m not passing on a job that makes her feel like sleeping for a week or killing someone (that would be awkward). And she assured me it doesn’t. So it makes sense that someone who loves it and see how it all fits together and finds the missing parts of the puzzle and makes in simple and clear and balanced in about 2 hours should do it.
And so, for someone who technically works on their own, this whole exchange got me thinking about my TEAM. The team of people who support me so I can do what I do best, which is that time that I’m with people in my office, doing my magic (or finding their magic or hearing them tell me magical stuff). That is my thing. That is the shit I was put on earth to do. But I couldn’t do any of that without my team, and sometimes (in fact a lot) in my life I have had this sense of being all alone in it, and totally responsible for it, and like I wasn’t being backed or supported. But what is clear is that there is no way I could have gotten to here without my team, and I’m in the process of finding more people to get on it and take more of the stuff off me so I can do more of the magic stuff, but not have to use up more of my time to do that, because there’s some girls in my life who are also magic who need their Mum to give them some of that too.
And it’s about to get super busy and I’m going to need to get really focused to make that happen with as much balance is possible. So before (and while) that is happening I just want my team to know how grateful I am to have their support.
Which is why I love my bookkeeper, and my mortgage broker (who I’ve only met once but reassured me with such certainty that she had that whole refinancing caper covered that I love her), and my friends who recommended the mortgage broker, and the man who’s been hanging curtain rods for me and fixing walls, and the amazing guy who single handedly restumped our little house and brought me eggs, and my girls’ Nan who has the kids on Wednesday’s after school so I can work longer and cooks us dinner, and my gym buddy who I wouldn’t go to the gym without who also is making shorter work of an additional project unrelated to magic making, and my Mum who brings me firewood, and the cute new day-care centre which Miss 3 loves, and Term 3 of school and my girls teachers who occupy them and educate them 5 days a week, and the pool cleaner, the gardener and the lady who drives the grocery truck and delivers our shopping and all the people in my life who constantly teach me new stuff about things I hadn’t added to the all-round repertoire yet ….and…and…and…I know I forgot some stuff, but the point is there’s a whole community that is making my world rock right now and I need you know I love your work and look forward to our future together.
Team Fleur. Yay.
PS I wrote this over at my other blog My Ego and Me back in July 2014. A few of my team members have changed and expanded. But the point is the same. Team Fleur. Yay.
