The Surefire Formula for Failure . . . Is This You?

Do you remember the classic crooner Frank Sinatra? I ask only because in today’s high tech, warp speed world, classics come and go almost as quickly as a new trend or fad. Sinatra had, among his many hits, a song title “I Did It My Way.” And I realized the other day that has been the key not just to my business success but to that of my clients as well. I’ve simply facilitated their ability to find “their” way.

I lost my way recently. I fell into that place of listening to too many other people and trying to please all of them while forgetting that the person I need to please the most is ME!  Now, lest that sound selfish or inappropriate, let me explain and suggest that if you fall into the category of being a People Pleaser too, you read extra closely. This could save you a lot of time, frustration, anxiety, and even money.

You see when I embarked on that path of technology transition, while it occurred to me to get another PC, I’d had a number of creative colleagues and even non-creative friends rave about Apple and how superior it was. Except they didn’t just rave (fanatics rarely d0), they demanded that I make a change. At least that is what it sounded like to me. And, being the People Pleaser that I am, I acquiesced.

I wanted so badly to make all those rabid Apple fans happy that I just assumed (and we all know what happens when you do that “ass u me”) that I’d be happy with the change. So, I failed to do my due diligence. I didn’t check out what the transition would look like, I didn’t explore the nuances of each system and what they would mean to me personally. I just dove in with both feet and promptly hit the bottom. OUCH!

In the process of surfacing this last week with the help of a new, young, wildly talented tech (best thing to come out of this mess so far), I had the big wake up call. (Think head slap here!) I needed to do what was right for me and let all those Apple users be damned. Oh, they are still friends, colleagues, people I enjoy and both inspire and am inspired by, but they aren’t me and what works for them, may not and in this case, definitely doesn’t work for me.

I’m ditching the new Macbook Pro and the new Imac and returning to my happy place with a new HP laptop and bright new monitor. Get over it Apple maniacs!  The gap has closed the last few years in operation systems, yes I will have to run antivirus software, I’m cool with that. More importantly, I will get a screen I like, searching that works and I’m used to it (Mac was not friendly on this front and required customization), and a fully functioning Outlook with my daily calendar on the same screen (out of site, out of mind). I will even enjoy my weather icon and calendar widget on my home screen, not a separate screen as Mac insisted (in their clearly less than infinite wisdom.)

So, I’m going to say something here that few have ever said and you may not hear from many others. I like Windows. It works for me. The majority of what I do is email, word, powerpoint, and very limited fooling about with pictures. I don’t photoshop. I may produce a video, but I leave the editing to an expert.  I write books, I don’t illustrate them beyond clipart. I design but have staff who handle CADD (though I learned it before it was even taught in schools, lol.) In other words, as creative as I am, I don’t need an Apple. What I need is a system that I know, like, and trust. I understand the weaknesses in Windows and can live with those.

I’m finally getting brave enough to please myself! I’m going to stop chasing what everyone else thinks I should have and go with what I want. I suggest you do the same thing. Like the not yet classic singer Nikka Costa says “Can’t Please Everybody.”

Tell me here about your latest sacrifice to pleasing everyone else and what you are going to do to take your POWER back!! Oh and remember to follow me online at facebook, twitter, and linkedin.