There’s a problem with thinking you can do anything.
I blame my parents.
Growing up I was told I could be, and do anything as long as I was willing to work for it.
Sometimes this has served me well. Other times?
You can see where this is heading can’t you?
It started with my 14 year old son becoming taller than me. Like way taller than me. Sometimes he comes down to go to school in the morning and I swear he got taller overnight. It’s quite disconcerting.
So while I’m glad he is growing well, he has outgrown his single bed. We had promised to get him a new queen-sized bed, but as he has the smallest bedroom and the one in most need of painting, I decided that before the new bed arrived his room would need to be painted.
How hard could it be, I thought. How long could it take, I thought.
Hard and long is the answer.
First was tackling the VERY badly painted “feature” wall and skirting board that needed much sanding and a number of layers of undercoat.
Then there was the VERY painful cutting in around all the circular pot lights in the ceiling. My neck is still sore nearly a week later.
Then I decided on a couple of different feature walls. Damn you Pinterest and your bedroom inspiration. More painful cutting in. Multiple taking up and down of blinds. Much whinging from the 17 year old about having to share a bed with his brother while his bedroom underwent the transformation.
Basically, I have been working full-time on this small bedroom for nearly a week. My back is killing me. The house smells like paint, and I am now sick.
And what have I learnt?
Just because you think you can do anything doesn’t mean you should
A professional painter would have completed the room in 2 days with less paint on the carpet
14 year old boys don’t appreciate a freshy painted bedroom
I need two days in bed and a massage.
I bet you are wondering how I’m going to relate this to building commercially successful and inclusive businesses? I was wondering that myself there for a bit…..
But here’s the connection.
When you are leading Diversity & Inclusion work within your organisation, just because you can do all the work, doesn’t mean you should. That’s because:
There’s only so much time in the day
A professional focusing on your actions can get it done more quickly
It’s easy to burn out doing this work.
Want some help? Let’s chat.
Lisa xx