On a Monday afternoon in April, I was sitting in my office, thinking about my business trip to California that I was going to undertake that upcoming Friday, when the phone rings. The voice on the other end of the line invites me to perform a due diligence investigation on a company in Albany, New York, this Wednesday. I accept, knowing what this entails: Going through the data room in preparation for the meeting will be like drinking from a fire hose. Travelling over 6 hours to Albany from Toronto, having meaningful meetings, and coming back the same day will make for a very long day. But this is how it has to be so that this mandate does not interfere with my trip to California.
In the past, I would have completely cleared my table and calendar, and only focused on this mandate, with this mandate having risen to my number one priority. But not this time. This time I made a different choice.
On Tuesday mornings, I participate in a mastermind call with a few likeminded friends. And so was the case this Tuesday. Starting out, I shared that I will only have 30 minutes. The call became wonderfully deep very quickly, with the result of all of us feeling profoundly connected. And 30 minutes flew by. Instead of worrying about time, I made the conscious choice of staying on past the 30-minute mark, for as long as necessary, motivated by the realization that there is no higher purpose in life than being and sharing love. And that’s what I was doing on that call, being and sharing love.
After the call, connected deliciously to the love and peace inside of me, I dedicated myself to the due diligence exercise. I went through the slew of documents in the data room, one by one, focusing on each individual piece and not worrying about all the other pieces I still had to go through or about the time it all may take. I did not multi-task, even though I still had to figure out my flights, too, and book them. In other words, I was completely present, and at ease. I ended up creating time… Well, that’s how it felt. I seemed to get twice as much done in half the time. I eventually also booked the flights, checked in, reserved a car to the airport, and I was even home for dinner.
That evening, though, I was a bit worried about the trip. Having to get up at 4:15 a.m., travelling for over 6 hours, meeting for several hours (and getting close to 100 questions answered), and then travelling back for over 6 hours appeared daunting. Also, I worried about the flight schedule… What happens if the first flight is delayed and I end up missing my connection? Will I have to take an extra day? Will this interfere with my trip to California? But then I decided not to think about the whole day or tackle it all at once, but take it as it comes – piece by piece, experience by experience, moment-by-moment. I decided to approach the trip just like I had handled the data room; to be present. And I was - even when I arrived at the airport the next morning and learned that my flight was delayed. Since I had no control over the situation, I didn’t even check at what time my connecting flight departed and if I still had enough of a window to make it. I stayed in this moment and trusted that everything would fall into place – whatever that looks like.
And everything did fall into place. The whole experience was more than pleasant. I enjoyed every minute of the trips and the meetings. Everything flowed easefully; I felt wonderfully alive; and when I arrived at home that night after 11:00 p.m., I was still full of energy.
So, what prompted me to have this calm, peaceful and joyful experience versus one that I would describe as me pushing to accomplish certain tasks, draining my energy as I go? I came from the place of love; I was present, meaning I wasn’t impacted by the past and I didn’t worry about the future; I was not multi-tasking; I didn’t allow myself to get dragged into the all too familiar busy-ness. And every time a worry came up, I lovingly let it go. I savoured my experiences instead of being focused on completing certain items on my to-do list. And it felt amazing!
What different choice will you make today?
P.S. The due diligence checklist I used in the mandate described above is shown in the Appendix of my book The Decision-Maker’s Guide to Long-Term Financing. On pages 93 – 95, you’ll find background information on a due diligence investigation. The book is available at www.guidetolongtermfinancing.com.
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