I’m so fancy

As I write this, I'm sitting in the outdoor lounge at my co-working space.

Down the sidewalk comes a man pulling a hand cart containing one push mower, one weed-eater, and several gas cans. He has a t-shirt that says “Bill's Yard Work.”

While he is still walking by, he’s passed by a large pickup truck hauling a trailer with two zero-turn mowers and a wide assortment of other equipment. The truck is wrapped in a custom paint job reading, “Garcia's Outdoor Services.”

The truck is quickly out of sight. The man just keeps walking.

Observation: These are two businesses in the same line of work, and I have no idea which one is “more successful.”

The Garcia crew looks fancy, but Bill, with his hand cart, seems happy enough.

• Which of them is making a greater profit?

• Which of them takes greater joy in their work?

• Where will either of them be, in terms of what matters to them, in a year, or two?

Here's the thing:

Unless your mission is "looking fancy" — and I’m guessing it’s not — what matters is not how slick your tools look, but how well they help you reach the goals that matter to you.

All the best,
A.