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Lessons Learned

Writer's picture: Erica McWhorterErica McWhorter

Finding your margin


“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” – Margaret J. Wheatley

 


Table of Contents

1. On Lessons Learned

2. Finding Your Margin

3. Value in the Margin

4. What's Next

5. Resources to Fill Your Toolbox


 

Key Takeaways

  • Think of your position in terms of your lanes not your limits.

  • Empty space is necessary.

  • Find value in your margins by living your values.

 

On Lessons Learned


This is the time of year I enjoy spending in reflection. Budgeting time to review and consider.

 

This year I came across a couple of things that have stuck with me and really improved my thinking. They are brilliant, even if not novel, because of how they challenge mental models and give permission to ask, listen, think, approach, and re-think issues from better, less traditional angles.

 

My biggest lesson learned this year was understanding the value of margin – finding, valuing, and living in the margins.




Finding Your Margin

Earlier this year while listening to a podcast, the speaker, Dr. Dharius Daniels, asked “Did life happen in such a way that it took margin away from you?” He continued, “Do you have the measure of confidence that is needed to get the result you want?...Think lanes, not limits.”

 

That discussion was about how hard work doesn’t always work. More is needed. You need a level of confidence that will match your capacity. To get that sometimes you need to think differently about your circumstances by considering your lane. A lane could be a business or life season, approach, or goal. By looking beyond what doesn’t work can allow you to live and dream without limit – without even needing to leave your lane.

 

To do so, however, you need margin.

 

Margin is space. It is the space to consider or appreciate your lane or position. In other words, the time to reflect, dream, plan, reassess, learn, and decide. In this way, your confidence, your results, and your capacity are tied to your margin.

 

So where do you find your margin?

 

To start, look to your current position not just your ideal position. Identify the time and space you will need to understand your position or identify what has stolen your confidence about your position.

 

Next, use that time and space to better situate yourself in your position or regain your confidence. Limits are not necessary here. Capacity to excel in your lane exists. Space is needed to find it.

 

Specifically, empty space is necessary. It is the path to more capacity. What you do with that empty space – be it rest, improvement, relationship building, organization, scaling, learning – is how you get to the outcome you seek. That is the crux of living in your lane without unneeded limits.




Value in the Margin

After hearing that earlier this year, I began to reflect on the value of margin. Some of my own plans and efforts were silently expanding my lanes. I realized that the things I valued most were the things I wanted to intentionally make space for. Instead of searching for the margin I was intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally, creating it.

 

In my business lane, I found building in margin built more margin thoughout my life and plans. This added value by creating opportunity for me, allowing for more enjoyable work and skill building.

 

For instance, I believe in living my values. This business is a Public Benefit LLC for a reason – so that I could live and work my values of operating in and for the public benefit. This year when selecting and adjusting my pro bono and reduced fee work, I chose to build extra margin in for those clients. While that initially limited my capacity in some areas, before many of those engagements were complete that margin built space in other areas, such as referrals, new partnerships, new regular priced contracts, increased experience, and more.  Building in margin to live my values produced tangible value in the form of monetary, social, and experiential capital.

 

This year I also found value in interim planning in the form of a 100 Day Finish Strong Plan (FSP). I intentionally created margin to conduct my own interim planning twice in the last half of the year. Once to help navigate my capacity (and confidence!) while investing in some pro bono and reduced fee clients, and also at the beginning of the fourth quarter to plan to end my year strong.


You can read more about how to use interim planning here.

 

That last interim planning opportunity gave me the chance to see myself in my lane in a new way. I avoided falling prey to the thinking that needing margin to reset or recalculate meant that I was far from achieving my goals for the year or limited by time or circumstance. Instead, the margin allowed for perspective and opportunity. I both envisioned and became well able to orchestrate the rest of my year in a way that allowed me to reach my goals realistically and on my own terms. The FSP interim plan was critical to helping me understand my lane, find the confidence to rock and roll, and identify the margin I needed to finish strong and live well. That is true value in the margin.

 

Stay tuned! Next year I will make a template available for free download and give you a peak at my FSP!

 

Lastly, this year, I found value in creating margin for gratitude. I am most grateful this year for margin and the revelations and blessings it has brought so far. I am also thankful to you the readers who follow along. If you want to hear more from me connect with me on LinkedIn or sign up for my newsletter next year.

 

I hope you can find some margin. That your lane is filled with opportunity. That your confidence matches your capacity. And that you find tremendous value in whatever margin you create.

 

“Live creatively…Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life [living according to your conscience].” - Gal. 6:4-5 MSG

 

What’s Next


Consider

  • Where can you find margin right now, next year, and week over week, month over month?

  • What value can you assign that margin to help you seek it out, make space for it, protect it, prioritize it?


Stay Tuned

Watch this space for more lessons learned. Up next, we discuss this year’s dose of brilliance and the thing that inspired and influenced me the most this year.


Sign Up for the Newsletter

A twice monthly newsletter launching next year where I share more content like this plenty of other things you should know (and see, hear, or try). Sign up below!

 


Resources to Fill Your Toolbox


1. The full low down from Dr. Daniels “Hard Work Doesn’t Always Work”, available here.

2. The Five Minute Journal, because gratitude is easy and its value is lasting, available here.



This post is part of the “Lessons Learned” series.


If you need help building margin or doing things differently, reach out. Let me know how I can help you achieve your goals. If you would just like to chat or partner, I'm here for that too!



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