The Value in Looking Back
The ancient saying “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation” is attributed to the Roman Philosopher, Seneca. I don’t believe in luck per se, but the above quote is an idea I can get behind. For me the word opportunity conjures all sorts of exciting thoughts; a twist in the plot, a gain in momentum, a fork in the road. So generally, I take the opportunities that come my way. If the timing is right, and I’m prepared, the impact of that decision tends to be substantial.
Tim and I were recently asked to give a 45 minute presentation at a trends summit put on by Pella windows. It was tempting to dismiss the opportunity with excuses like “we’re too busy” or “we aren’t public speakers.” Instead, our curiosity won out. We were eager to visit a new place and see behind the scenes of an established and significant brand like Pella. We opted to make the effort, write the speech, prepare the slideshow, pack up the family and fly to Des Moines. As anticipated the trip was fun, and the interaction with Pella was fascinating, yet there was an added reward to this opportunity-taken that we didn’t expect to reap.
The process of writing our speech and crafting our presentation required us to reflect on our past real estate and construction projects in a way that we hadn’t done before. Often I look back on progress and mistakenly attribute it to good luck (something I don’t even believe in). It’s easy to forget all the forethought, designing, and physical labor that lies in the past. Two positive outcomes emerged from this reflective exercise. First, we identified practices we previously did intuitively that are worth carrying forward intentionally. More on that in a subsequent post. The second and perhaps the most significant benefit is a newfound level of confidence in our abilities as designer, builder and developer. Implemented in a healthy way, this could mean bolder design choices, less stress around construction hiccups, and a greater level of dreaming about what lies ahead.
These discoveries couldn’t have come at a better time, as Tim and I are about to begin a new development project. I’m grateful we put in the extra effort to give the Pella presentation. It certainly gave us a little momentum boost in regards to building the Bobo Workshop brand, beginning with the genesis of this blog.
A visit to the Des Moines Botanical Gardens.