I was at a beautiful, beachside hotel in Miami, the elevator opened; a bellman with six large pieces of luggage was already inside. As I joined him, I commented that someone brought a lot with them. Then he told me, two of the suitcases were empty but they will be full when they leave.
Shopping was on someone's agenda.
Why do we shop?
It can be a necessity. There are things you truly need, that your survival depends on.
It can be a convenience. It would be nice to have a new outfit for a party or an extra few snacks on hand in case you get hungry. It would "make life easier" or be helpful to have.
When you travel, shopping can give you access to goods and services that you might not normally be able to get or, what I like about shopping on vacation is that, it can give you insight into the culture or lifestyle of the area you are visiting.
Shopping can be fun and even an adventure. There can be a sense of success when you find the perfect item or a great bargain. It can give you a chance to look at, or "try on," lifestyles that you aren't living. And you know what? Getting new things can simply be fun.
I looked at the pile of empty and soon to be full luggage. No doubt whomever it belonged to had a lot of things already. I wondered to myself what more they really needed? What would having more get them? Would more make them happier? Would more be the answer to their dream or success? And the big question… if they didn't shop, what would they do instead?
I was in Florida on a business trip and managed to squeeze in a few personal days. I spent those days with my Mom and aunt. We went to the Everglades and rode an airboat through swamps full of alligators. We played at Monkey Jungle and visited Jungle Island where we fed parrots. When I got to the hotel for the business part of my trip I worked hard to squeeze in a few minutes by the ocean. In fact, I'm sitting by the pool writing this. I managed to take advantage of just a little bit of what Miami had to offer. If I had more time I may have spent a few hours shopping.
I thought about my business and all of the things I already had at my disposal. All the ideas I had, all the knowledge I already had. Like the person who owned the empty luggage, I already had a lot. How would getting more help me? Would another idea be the answer all of my "problems"? Would another marketing strategy unlock the key to an endless stream of clients?
So many business owners want the latest, greatest newest solution for their problem.
They spend time, energy and oftentimes, money searching for resources and looking for answers when the reality is that, working what they already have is likely the best, fastest, easiest and most cost effective way to move their business forward.
That's not to say that you should never try new things, implement new ideas or experiment. My suggestion to you is simple, before you go out and look for what's next, take a moment to make sure that you're already using the resources you already have and that you aren't shopping simply filling up bags with more things.
Where might you use the resources you already have available to you?
Carrie Greene is a speaker, author and business coach. She is a business strategist and productivity expert for entrepreneurs. Carrie helps entrepreneurs get clear on what they want and create simple and straight-forward plans to get there. She is the author of "Chaos to Cash: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Eliminating Chaos, Overwhelm and Procrastination So You Can Create Ultimate Profit!" Free resources at http://carriegreenecoaching.com/