Business Lessons from the Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
I’m sat here in my warm office, my tears splashing on the keyboard as I type (these are happy ones mind you).
When the lockdown happened I struggled a lot, struggled with family commitments and balancing work, struggled with my mental health (I had a pretty big breakdown and came to terms with certain untold truths about myself). This past year hasn't been easy either but I feel like I have accomplished a lot with myself and one of the main components of this, is this beautiful book. Which sits next to me on my desk.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. If you haven't read it I urge you to go order a copy right now! I’ll be waiting here till you get back...
Oh that was quick (good old Amazon eh). Good let’s carry on.
It’s a tale about an inquisitive boy, a mole who's enthusiastic but a little bit greedy, a fox who's been so hurt he is withdrawn from life (he's an old friend) slow to trust but wants to be a part of all things, and the horse who's the wisest bit, the deepest part of us.
Every time I feel stressed or I lose direction, or I feel like giving up, flicking through it’s beautifully illustrated pages reminds me every time of my north star. I think inside each of us there is a small person. Who is afraid, feels lonely or struggles at times. We surround ourselves with all the trappings of being adults but strip away the veneer and that’s what you're left with. Your inner child.
Understanding who we are at our core and reminding ourselves of that (daily) is so important for growth.
So here are a few lessons from the book which you can apply to business and your life (those two things are the same by the way, if you hadn't noticed, because they all come from the same place.You).
1. As you get older, you may wish you had listened less to your fears and more to your dreams
If I hadn't take that first ever step of posting for the first time ever on this platform, this newsletter wouldn't exist. Trying new things takes courage, it’s scary because you don't have any concept of what can happen because you have no knowledge of the subject. But learning can be fun and exciting. Revel in the mystery of not being the smartest person in the room, beginners mindset is a powerful weapon. So try new things! You never know where it might lead.
2. Asking for help isn’t giving up. It’s refusing to give up
Nowhere is that as self evident than on this platform, the sheer amount of learning and business advice I have gained in my three years on the platform has been life changing. I would have paid thousands for this, but I can learn it all here for free and get feedback from experts in their respective fields in real time. Let’s stop a second and appreciate how amazing that is! Building an audience that will support you and rally to your side when you need them (just like a certain mole, fox and horse I know) is a power I can’t even begin to explain to you.
3. What is the biggest waste of time? Comparing yourself to others
I still catch myself dong this from time to time, she has more followers than me, he makes more money than I do. So what, those are their stories. Not yours, beginning to feel comfortable that this is our story and we are the only ones capable of writing it is liberating.
4. When the big things feel out of control, focus on what you love
Remind yourself WHY you do what you do. Subconsciously I think a lot of us do that through our content. Pay attention (really close attention) to what you're saying with your content and responses. There is some serious gold in there and taking it a day at a time by posting gives us gentle reminders to carry on and focus on our why (just like the horse in the book).
5. The greatest illusion is that life should be perfect. The truth is, life and business is messy at times. It’s just the way things are. For virtually every one of us, there are some rough edges in our jobs, with our friends, with our relationships with the people we love the most. A better way to view life is put it on a scale and ask yourself: Does the good in my life outweigh the bad? Life does not have to be perfect in order to be immensely rewarding. We can find gratitude in the smallest of places.
6. The best discovery is that you are enough. It can seem like we’re all on an endless quest to become better people, to lose weight, to get more physically fit, to be kinder, to become more spiritually enlightened. Kudos to all of us for making these and other efforts. But the fact is, you are good as you are right now. You always have been. You always will be. Recognise it and revel in it!
Charlie has also inspired me to take another big audacious step towards one of my own goals next year, writing my own book.
So here’s to big dreams, they start from the smallest of places inside us.
If you are willing to listen to them they can change your life.
I don't know about you but I know I’ll be curling up with the beautifully animated version of the story with the kids this Christmas. To encourage them to be recognise that they are enough as they are, whoever they choose to be. To them I’m sure it will be a beautiful story about a boy and his talking animal friends.
To me it has a much deeper meaning. One they probably won't recognise till they get older and I’m sure I’ll share my story with them when they are ready to hear it.
The biggest gift we can give to ourselves is just to be kind, that is enough.
"If a child can daily imbibe the information that they are enough as they are, and to accept themselves and each other, then that goes beyond the classroom and just becomes part of their lives.
This is way beyond what I ever dreamt." ~ Charlie Mackesy
See you next week, you glorious humans for my last newsletter of 2022!
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