Last week I attended a farewell gathering for some long time neighbourhood friends. They have cashed out of the real estate market in North Vancouver, sold off most of their possessions, and packed what remaining treasures they have off to Spain. Their plan is to buy a villa by the ocean in southern Spain and run an AirBNB on the side. It’s a major shift of plans for her, a financial planner who had become disillusioned with her job. And for him, originally from the EU, an opportunity to be closer to his sometimes sketchy work in the diamond trade. Considering they have left a teenage son to attend university in Vancouver, now set up in his own pad, and will have two other kids attending high school and elementary school in Spain, plus a new language to get a grip on, I was left both marveling at their thirst for adventure, as well as hoping dearly it works out for them. It’s a huge leap into the unknown.
But besides the adventure, it was the giddy free feeling of parting with possessions and simplifying their life that I found fascinating. I think maybe they are on to something. It made me reflect on a line I remember my Mom delivering in her 60s, “At some point you realize you have too many bathrooms to clean, and you need to simplify.” While it could be argued my Spain bound friends will be collecting more bathrooms in the future, the notion of “simplifying to see direction”, if only temporarily, is powerful.
Think about that for a second. Could less actually equal MORE?
I found this same concept echoed in a media analysis I was doing for a client this week. They had significant earned media across numerous channels, but closer analysis revealed the power of focusing on a few key contacts to maximize future exposure. They had also grown their social media following and engagement on Twitter and Facebook over three times larger in the last year, while other social channels had remained constant or actually decreased. Yet without my observation and recommendations, they were apt to still continue to channel immense effort into all channels equally in the coming year. I actually recommended that they focus on less, and really grow the one area where they had made significant traction, and to simply maintain the rest. I had the statistics to back up that less was actually going to have MORE impact across all their marketing with media.
I’m also intending to apply this concept to my own business in the coming weeks. Anyone who knows me well has witnesses a women taking on too much and spiraling out of control at times keeping up, since late spring this year. While there were other factors at play beyond my control, I have also come to realize that much of the busy work has been of my own letting. I know well from past experience that the fine art of saying “no” often means yes to BETTER opportunities later. It usually translates to MORE money for less work when it’s done for the ideal client too. The bottom line becomes, “do more of what you love and get rid of the rest.” Again, the less = MORE concept is at play.
So as you’re sipping your morning coffee today or tomorrow, have a think about what you could get rid of, to make more room for things that bring you joy or prosperity. Hopefully that doesn’t include your kids or spouse! I’m thinking more along the lines of clients that no longer feed your soul, social media channels that suck up your time, and heck – clothes in your closet you no longer wear! When there is less clutter, we start to see more clearly. And yes, my Mom’s dresser set in our dining room since June is officially moved out last weekend along with some other clutter that I’ve finally found the time to address! I’m still working on the flat screen however… Seems I have to stay in town long enough to respond to calls if I list it for sale. Anyone need a 42” TV?
If you’re curious about the notion of media analysis for your company, wondering if you current strategy is a good one, or if indeed I could help you do less and get more results, drop me a line mary@charleson.ca We could set up an initial phone call to see if working together in the future might be a good fit. Or if you prefer the do-it-yourself method, I’ve got a killer course “Marketing with Media: Spend less time, get more results” where you can learn everything I know about this stuff at your own pace. Priced at $349 for 6 modules it’s already a deal compared to working one-on-one, but if we decide after chatting that the DIY method would work best for you, I’ll offer you a coupon to make a little cheaper for you.