Hey Reader,
Over the last several weeks, we've been working through the HARMONY framework, which is all about building a business that fits into the life we want, and helps us get there.
We've talked about Happiness, Alignment, Revenue, Metrics, Optimization, and Numbers.
Today, I want to wrap it up with the final letter.
Y = Yearly
I know that probably sounds like pretty simple one, but I think this is an extremely important piece of the process.
Because I think there is something we forget or maybe don't even realize:
The life you want today might not be the life you want a year from now.
The answers to my HARMONY look very different now than they did 25 years ago. Heck, they look very different than just 5 years ago.
5 years ago I was determined to grow Teach Better as big as possible and I was dead set on my family needing to move into a bigger house.
Today, though, I want a simpler life with a simpler business. And I love our little old house filled to the brim with memories and things that need fixed.
I used to be convinced I needed to become someone who was sought after and admired by entrepreneurs all over the world. Now, I realize that I get my true joy from working with people and building things, even small things.
During the first 5 years or so of Teach Better when Chad and I would dream about the day we wouldn't need to work anymore, I always joked that when that day came, I would just start a new business.
Now I'm pretty confident I'll spend my days at our cottage in Canada, unplugged from the world, fishing and living a quiet life.
The point I am trying to make is that HARMONY isn't something you figure out once and then follow forever.
Your definition of success and happiness and HARMONY is allowed to change.
We get so attached to the goals we set that we forget to stop ever now and then to ask whether those goals still make sense.
Changing your goals doesn't mean you failed to achieve your original goals. It just means you've changed your goals. I mean, if our lives change, shouldn't our businesses be allowed to change with them?
Maybe when you started your business, your goal was to eventually leave the classroom and work for yourself. But now you've found a school and community you love, and the business has become something you enjoy doing on the side.
Maybe you started out wanting to build a 7-figure business with a team of employees, but after a few years, you've realized you actually prefer a smaller business with fewer responsibilities and more freedom.
Maybe you originally wanted to travel the country speaking at conferences, but now you'd rather be home more often.
Or maybe that side hustle you started just to make a couple extra bucks for a vacation has grown into something you absolutely love, and now you want to see how far you can take it.
None of those changes are good or bad. They're just different.
Changing your definition of success doesn't mean you failed. I actually think it means you're getting clearer about what success and happiness look like for you.
This is why I went with "Yearly" for Y.
>>Continued after this note from our friends at Morning Brew<<
I want you to make a habit of revisiting these things. Not with the goal of changing everything every year, but rather to make sure you're still building the right business for the life you want.
Your Next Steps
I want you to think back through the six areas we've covered so far and record your answers somewhere you can easily reference when needed:
- Happiness: Does the work I'm doing still give me energy?
- Alignment: Does the business I'm building fit into the life I want?
- Revenue: What are my Enough Numbers? (Survive, Sustain, HARMONY)
- Metrics: Am I measuring the things that actually matter?
- Optimization: How can I make my business more effective at progressing toward the life I want?
- Numbers: Do I understand the health of my business?
Then I want you to plan for when you'll come back to all of this and review and adjust.
Here's the catch: I'm saying "Yearly" here, and I think an annual review is good for most people. But, you might decide you don't need to revisit things yearly. No worries, do it every 2-3 years. (I wouldn't go longer than 3 years, though).
For some people, it's the opposite. You may want to go through this every 6 months.
There is no one-size-fits-all here. Find what works for you. I just want you to have a plan for revisiting these things regularly.
HARMONY is not a one-time exercise. It is something we should continuously revisit as we grow, our business grows, and our lives change.
The goal of HARMONY is not to build a business that fits into the life you wanted when you started. The goal is to build a business that continues to fit into the life you want as that life changes.
I hope this helps.
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~ Jeff
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I appreciate you.
Jeff Gargas
COO / Co-Founder, Teach Better Team
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P.S. When you're ready, here's how I can help:
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