My husband enjoys the show The Profit... in short, its a reality show where a wealthy investor (Marcus Lemonis) takes over struggling businesses and makes them profitable and functional again! It's good TV.
I watch on while I knit.
Many of his ideas have been slowly filtering through my mind. Lemonis' main mantra is "People, process, profit..." when anyone of those things are out of whack businesses generally don't succeed. Some times the issue is with the people, or how people are treated. Other times its the process of the business, the day to day functioning of the business ... and both issues usually impact the profitability of the business. It's interesting stuff.
I'm a miserably poor manager. Well, I take that back. I ran a very well managed classroom when I taught... because school is VERY controllable, reliable and systematic... sadly, at the cost of people... but it has to be. This however, can't always be the case in homes ... in families and in homeschools. And I'm not sure I want to treat my home and family like a school or business.
However...
Every day I wake up and I feel (in part) like I am running a struggling business (home). Now, this illustration all breaks down because our goal as a family isn't to make a profit. I guess you could use that word, but I've found that really "purpose" is a better word and end result of having our people and process in better alignment.
When they are functional we all are able to explore, create, learn and grow in depth of purpose!
Right now, nothing is working in our home...
My process (the managing systems of our home) are NOT running smoothly. Chores aren't done, rules are not obeyed (even though we are consistent and correct). Guidelines are not acknowledged. Chaos rules us all.
People aren't doing the process (systems of management) that we've trained and taught them in. Our people are at each otter's throats, fighting, arguments and generally not connecting on heart levels.
We fail to be able to create, explore and grow in the purpose God's designed us for and for what our hearts feel called.
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| Sometimes life looks more like a photo where no one is looking the same direction and people are talking to each other through gritted teeth. |
It stinks. It makes us all hurt.
Some people here feel this keenly. Others seem like they desire to add to the chaos or are reactionary to what surrounds them.
Each day I get up with renewed purpose all to have it fall by the wayside just moments after I take my 1st sip of chai and look at my surroundings... I see that a person has failed to do chores, or got into fish food and it now is ground into carpet or to be told someone doesn't have clothes to wear (because they failed to do their laundry like they were told.)
Our process is broken.
People are feeling disunited and on their own.
As the leader I feel defeated and have lack of motivation.
I can't say that I have a solution to this yet... but it feels better just voicing it, and realizing that people, process and purpose are all interconnected.
It's not always like this. It seem like we have a season like this ever few years... growing pains. New things. Life just being a bit "too big" for us... then we rally, come together and grow. It's still hard.
It's helpful for me to realize that leading a family, training children and managing a home is a REAL job (profession) and also a very worthwhile investment.
It might not glean returns in income (ha!), but I will reap returns in functionality, interconnectedness and be able to grow deeper in the purposes I was created for, and to see others around me benefit from personal investment in it as well!
Some of my goals...
~ To encourage personal connections and relationship building. If the process has to wait because people are connecting that is worth it! I want to connect on heart levels with each of my people. If I elevate the process I fear pushing them farther away or if all we do is think about the process then we end up serving it instead of it serving us.
~ To minimize and simplify... both "stuff" and for me mental clarity and distractions. I crave simplicity right now!
~ To take baby steps on improving our process... to update what isn't working and reinstate what is or has worked.
~ To fix me. I am the tone and weather of my home. When I am well and have direction that filters down to others.
Thanks for walking with me!
Feel free to share.
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