Embrace the Unexpected

Establish goals and long-term plans for the new year but also stay flexible to handle any surprises that come your way

The arrival of January produces talk of resolutions — personal or professional, ambitious or small. The turning of the calendar means an opportunity for change.

My opinion has always been that if you’re truly committed to a change, you should have no problem doing so at any time of the year. You don’t need to abide by the timeline of a calendar. Still, a new year has a way of making us look for areas that need improvement and perhaps establish some resolutions to work toward.

That usually comes with structure. You do some long-range planning. You create tangible action items to check off the list along the way to your larger goals. You’re trying to exert control. But what if something sudden and unexpected happens? It’s important to have goals and plans. It’s also important that you not be so rigidly focused on those plans that you can’t make adjustments for unforeseen circumstances.

This month’s issue features people who have overcome such challenges. Valerie McGinnis was accustomed to being a homemaker. Her husband Mark was the one whose day-to-day involved running $15 Sewer & Drain, the company he founded in 1986 in San Jose, California. But when Mark suddenly died of a heart attack in January 2020, McGinnis found herself in charge. Her gut reaction was that the business wouldn’t be able to continue without Mark, but after meeting with all the employees who counted on the company, she decided to keep it going. With help from some of  her children, McGinnis figured out the inner workings of the business and how to run it. There have been some changes, but she’s largely tried to simply continue Mark’s vision.

“I feel really good about how far we’ve come and where we’ve brought the business,” she says. “We’re just carrying on what Mark started. I think he’d be very proud.”

Kalen Barker, also featured here, is in a good place these days — two years into running his business Bright Side Plumbing in Kansas and already finding some quick success. But only three years ago, Barker was in a wheelchair, hindered by a health problem that made him uncertain about his working future. Doctors diagnosed it as a rare nerve disorder and Barker got on a treatment plan that eventually put him back on track. Along with steadily restoring his health, he ended up launching a new business.

“Three years ago, I never thought that I was even going to be able to work again, let alone think we were going to have a successful company that would grow this fast,” Barker says. “I’m just grateful to be here and be alive and serving the people as well as we can.”

While things might not go according to your ideal plan, there’s still a good chance you’ll be plenty satisfied where you end up if you stay flexible and embrace the unexpected.

As we head into 2023, I hope you’re able to be successful with whatever goals you want to reach, but that you also remain nimble to handle anything unanticipated the new year may bring.

Enjoy this month’s issue.



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