i should've listened to my grandfather

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My grandfather was a lifelong college professor, a card player, a jazz lover, and a baseball fanatic. Like most college professors (and lots of baseball fanatics for that matter) he constantly had information to share. He had too much knowledge for his own good and his intellect and wit were almost insufferable. Maybe that’s why I didn’t pay very close attention when he would repeat his trademark advice:

“Look around, Work hard, Keep curious”

Maybe because I’d forget (but more likely because it better suited my style), I usually just remembered the part about working hard and something about curiosity - with the “looking around” thrown somewhere in between or forgotten all together. A colleague even had this sign made for me because I (inaccurately, it turns out) told him this often.

Here’s the thing - the details here are pretty important. My grandfather was right (about a lot of things it turns out, but that is not the point). Looking around before you start working hard is really wise.

It’s something I pretty easily skip over and I see this pattern repeated with lots of entrepreneurs. How many times have you had an idea and then dove right into the hard work only to later pick your head up, look around, and realize you’re off track and it’s not working.

Whether it’s starting a product, launching an offering, or setting up a new platform, you’ll achieve more impact with less time and effort if we take the time to look around first. This is why I always start with vision and why my workshops are bringing so much clarity to folks sorting out how to grow. It’s also why the hardest working entrepreneurs are some of the ones who most need coaching - because they are so prone to working head down, that they forget to zoom out, look around, and pause for curiosity.

How to put this to work:

1. Notice where you’re working hard.

   Is there a project or focus area you’ve been pouring energy into? Let’s focus on that.

2. Look around!

   Notice your context - how people are feeling, what other collaborators and partners are doing. Just take in the lay of the land around you and see what you notice.

   Notice your direction - where are you heading? Is it clear? Is it where you want to go?

3. Reframe & reorient

   Does your hard work still work in the context of what you noticed? Do you need to adjust what you’re working on or how in order to make this aligned?

4. Keep curious!

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I’m Laura Green - a strategist empowering creative leaders to build businesses they love. My work focuses on crafting actionable insights, scalable strategies, and proven systems to find more impact and less friction. I want you to have the clarity, confidence, and energy to make good stuff happen, to drive profit, and to get back to doing the work you love. As for me - I love charts, good beer, nerdy nature books, and sneakers. When I’m not spinning up spreadsheets, you can find me gardening, hanging with my wonderfully wild kids, or sneaking in a nap. ✌️