I spent seven years as the executive director of a high-end retirement community. A large part of my time was spent working with my sales team. We worked one-to-one with older adults and their families exploring a move to community. Oftentimes, we worked with someone who appeared to be taking steps, but couldn’t seem to make that final decision. As a team, we would sort through what we knew about this person, what was their motivation to move, and what’s holding them back. Our goal always was to guide them get to their own best decision by helping to remove barriers.
One day, we were talking about a prospective resident who was doing everything right. She was visiting competitors, experiencing our community, cleaning out closets and getting rid of what she no longer wanted. She spent with her financial planner, and most importantly, she’d engaged her kids for support. And yet, she just couldn’t make the decision. Suddenly, one of my team members said, “She’s sorting beads.” We thought he was nuts….what do you mean “sorting beads?”
A Child’s Lesson
He told the story of his young daughter being told to clean her room. She mumbled and grumbled to her room. Shortly after, there was no noise coming from her room. He went to see what was going on and found her quietly sorting beads – reds with reds, blues with blues, shiny whites with shiny whites. In her young mind, sorting a messy pile of beads WAS cleaning her room.
Break it Down
When you’re faced with a big decision or a big project, do you find yourself overwhelmed and “sorting beads?” Do you get caught up in the details, need all the right tools to start, get easily distracted by shiny beads? Get past sorting beads by breaking a decision or project down into small, manageable steps. Don’t get overwhelmed by the thought of cleaning out that spare bedroom that’s captured years of clutter. Just start with the closet. Better yet, start with the bedside table. And when that’s done, hit the dresser. Then, aim for the closet. In no time, you’ll have finished your project….or made that big decision. Save your bead sorting for something fabulous, like a new piece of jewelry.
Are you a “bead sorter” or do you tackle big decisions or projects head-on? I’d love to hear from you!