Simple But Not Easy — 2018 Theme
Waking up before 5AM is simple but not easy. Go to bed early to get enough sleep and set your alarm for an early morning wake up call at 4:23AM to get things going. Simple but not easy.
New Year’s resolutions sound easy on paper but the resolutions rarely work in in real life. A couple weeks into the new year and our resolutions are gradually fading. Resolutions are simple but not easy. Workout more, eat better. Simple but not easy.
Go to bed early and wake up before 5AM — Simple but not easy. Meditate and workout before 5 AM — simple but not easy.
Doing most things is simple. You just have to do it. You have to overcome whatever resistance you are experiencing and do the work. Right now you have something to do. I know you do. Overcome the resistance and do it. It is simple but not easy.
In 2017 I quit my corporate day job as a VP of People & Culture and started two businesses. One is a coffee company, Sumato Coffee Co. and the other is Ramp Talent — we ramp recruiting and HR for high growth start-ups. It was simple but not easy to quit my day job and it was simple but not easy to start two companies. I just had to say “I quit my day job” and “I start Sumato Coffee Co. and Ramp Talent”. Simple but not easy to do this.
In 2018, I have to do simple but not easy work. For either Sumato Coffee or Ramp Talent — if I find myself not giving the task maximum effort, I need to tell myself to work harder than the day before because that is something I can control.
Working simple is about working harder than anyone else you are competing against. Working simple is pushing yourself, training your mind and body to be ready for anything in your life or work. Good or bad. Be ready and execute. Work on things you can control because that is simple and do more than you did yesterday.
I am far from perfect. I have made my fair share of mistakes, made simple things complex and by all means I am no role model to look up to. One thing I have learned is to keep work, goals, vision and mission — simple but not easy. If you do not know why you are working on something, check yourself and get back to the basics. Work simple.
Hard work is simple but not easy. There is no perfect time to do hard work. Find people who work hard and learn from them and grow. I continue to learn and grow everyday. I get humbled often then reflect, learn and do what I learned.
The more I fail, the more I learn. The more I do, the more I get done but also the more I do, the more I fail but I must do work to learn and get better. Leading people is simple but not easy. Give direction that is simple and hold your team accountable to do the simple but not easy work of getting results.
My job is simple — figure out how to put food on my family’s table. Simple but not easy.
Do the work with good coffee — simple but not easy. #Thankful #Blessed
