If You Catch on Fire, People Will Watch You Burn

Why is it that when people drive by an accident along the road we want to slow down and look. What is this attraction?

Why are we so captivated by car crashes?

According to Roland Maiuro, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington, we tend to look at car accidents because “The accident provides a close encounter without yourself being directly involved being put at risk.”

In a paper on our fascination with crashes both economic and vehicular, the researchers equate driving with gambling and say the joy is greater because of the risk.

If you extrapolate this out, then, watching car crashes makes driving more exciting because we’re somehow more aware of the risk but, simultaneously, less attached to the actual consequences.

Maybe this why I like car racing?

People are looking for something to get excited about.

John Wesley said, “When you set yourself on fire, people will come and see you burn.”

When you are firmly grounded in your true passion you are on fire for life.

Life is a journey much more than it is a destination. Finding one’s passion can take years to find and often does. There are a few who find their fire early on. But there’s something to be said for the knowledge and experience you pick up along life’s path. Whether you have found your fire or are still in search of your passion, here are eight tips to keep you moving forward.

1.) Live with an open mind and open heart.
2.) The darkest hour is just before dawn.
4.) Let the bridges you burn light your way.
5.) Eagles soar alone while buzzards flock together.
6.) Always be thankful for what you have.
7.) Listen to your gut.
8.) Follow your heart.
10.) Never give up. Be patience.

God has given each of us a purpose, a fire. Whatever yours is, set yourself a blaze and let them watch you burn with passion.

As a Christian, part of our purpose is to share God’s message and look for the lost.

In Luke 15:1-10 Jesus tells a couple of stories about looking for things that are lost. One is looking for a single lost sheep. The shepherd doesn’t need to be concerned with the ninety-nine that are safe.

The other story is about a woman who has ten coins and losses one. She is looking for the single missing coin…the others are safe.

If you’re lost, look for the Shepherd and let Him find you. If not, then look for lost sheep.

Catch fire and let people see you burn. The brighter your fire burns the more people you can help find their way. Just be sure that it’s the right fire.

It Doesn’t Have to Be One or The Other

Why is it that the owners of small businesses struggle to even make minimum wage? When you factor in the number of hours and amount of stress that most small business owners endure, often it’s less.

I had this conversation with a local contractor last week. The same conversation I’ve had with different contractors, including myself, repeatedly over the years.

Self-employed people are generally in business for one of two reasons. They either love what they do or they’re in it to make all the money they can. The ones who focus on quality and service usually don’t put enough effort into profit. On the other side, the ones who focus on profit, do so while neglecting the quality and service.

Let’s look at some of the reasons for this problem.

In a Score Contracts blog post, “8 Reasons Why Small Businesses Are Not Making Money” they list eight reasons. Most of these you have heard or experienced, but some are worth repeating.

#2 – They don’t know what they’re doing. They are technicians or trades people trying to run a business. They need to have a business plan in place and use it.

#5 – Poor thinking. Most are hard workers but have poor thinking habits. They spend more time planning their meals, vacations and daily chores than they do their life.

#6 – Lack of education. Not formal schooling, rather self-motivated expansion of knowledge like reading, studying, courses, on the job training.

#8 – Self-doubt or fear. Most people quit before they even get started. They look at the options and then talk themselves out of even giving it a real try.

Here are some additional reasons that small businesses find it difficult to make money, found in a blog post “17 Truths About Running Your Own Business”.

#1 – You can’t be everything to everyone. You need to decide what your priorities are, be selective and learn to say no to the things that aren’t.

#6 – Your business isn’t a piggy bank. You can’t just spend money on everything you want without a plan. You need to be sure to have money for taxes, equipment or building repairs, investments, etc.

#8 – You can’t do everything. You need help. You need a team and they need to be good. You need to know what that looks like and how to get them.

#10 – Your customers are your most important asset. Treat them as such.

#17 – You are your own most important client. You need to spend some time every day working on your business and not in your business. If you don’t take care of the business, it won’t last.

What are we going to do to make our business profitable while being true to our passion?

As is the case generally, everyone’s specific situation is different. The important thing is to listen, learn and apply information learned. If you learn new things and don’t use them, they’re worthless.

Application is the hard part.

Because we have struggled ourselves with finding a business system to fit our needs, we decided to develop a user-friendly business system that can be tailored to different business’s needs including training and implementation support.

It doesn’t have to be only passion or profit; IT CAN BE BOTH.

Here are some previous posts about some of our business system thoughts and struggles.

Building Your Business Is Critical to The Survival of The Business
Be Careful About Short Table Legs
What Does It Take to Be a Builder?
The First Next Thing to Building A Better Business

People Love Drama and Will Give it Their Full Attention