Gotta Be Nimble

So today I was at the gym. It was a beautiful sunny day, with the mountains all covered in white snow and the sky as blue as could be. Why was I inside you might ask? Answer: 4 degrees. That was the temperature. No one in his or her right mind goes outside to exercise when it’s 4 degrees. Ok, I though, I’ll just hit the gym and finally try one of the yoga classes I’ve been “meaning” to go to for the past 6 years. I could use the relaxation, I thought, after the busy holiday. I show up with 4 minutes to spare to class time, only to find a line out the door, and nothing but wall to wall yoga toned people already filling the classroom. Bummer. I’d have to find something else to do since everybody else who’s been meaning to come for 6 years just showed up too.

So I hit the gym instead, and 15 minutes into my “glad I’m actually not at yoga right now” routine, I was on the floor doing sit-ups. I was on the gym’s matt minding my own business near a row of machines, the closest of which was one that Chuck Norris sold in the 90’s on TV infomercials at 2 a.m. Out of the corner of my eye I see a large black mass coming toward me with an increase in noise. I shoot away from the shape and sound knowing that something will be landing on me if I don’t. One and a half seconds later I look over to see what I avoided. It was a man, let’s just say who wouldn’t have fit in at today’s yoga class, in mid-back summersault hurling to the exact spot where I was turbo-cising just a split moment ago. He’d lost grip of the straps and went tumbling backward off the machine. Chuck would have been so proud. I could only imagine his embarrassment as I reflected back on my own treadmill incident not too long ago. I laughed, he laughed, and everyone carried on as though it was the plan all along. Whew. ….7, 8, 9, and 10…ok done with that exercise.

What the heck am I supposed to do with that one, universe? What does that one mean, and how can I cheese it out and blog about it? Oh, did you think I’d resist?

Anyone who started a business in 2008 probably feels the same way as I do. The craziness of the economy and the public’s hesitance to try, buy, or move outside its newly restricted comfort zone forces anyone trying to start up a company to be nimble as hell. There is no time at all for wallowing in a “no” or a failed plan. There is no time either to bask in the joy of a successful sales day, a good result, or “what a great business idea” accolades. No… good or bad, high or low, we have to keep moving and doing every single minute of every day. If yoga is full, go to the gym. If a large object is hurling your way, move. Plans are good, but plans can change in a split second and you have to adapt.

I’m looking forward to what 2009 will be bringing.