What a pulled muscle taught me about business
I put my back out. This is the stuff of jokes. I pulled a muscle in what is effectively my arse whilst at the gym. I cannot describe the pain without having to have my words blacked out. Which is very nearly what I did. So several days have been spent in a drug-induced haze.
I shall say here that without Dr Ralph Rogers of 108 Harley St (contact details available on request), I would not have survived. He cleared time to see me when I called in tears, injected my bum, manipulated my leg and back, and got me whimpering yet functional in just two days. He is the retained doctor for the National Basketball Association and used to be at Chelsea FC, so a middle-aged woman’s glute is a walk in the park for him. But he treated me as if I was a premier player.
I can’t tell you the difference his confidence in his ability to fix me-made – and when I found myself trapped on the floor/bed/wherever at home and unable to shift, his belief doubled my determination to move,even though a haze of Tramadol. And so, given that I am still probably slightly drugged up, I thought I would give you the benefit of my learnings over the last 4 days of unexpected hours de combat-ness and pain.
1. Go to the best you can afford for anything you need to be done.
Seek out excellence. I could have pissed around with chiropractors and osteopaths and physiotherapists and no doubt in time that would have worked. I don’t have time. Work out what your time costs and then spend it on getting what you need.
2. Respect other people’s craft. I have lost count of how many degrees Ralph has but suffice it to say that this guy is at the top of his game and works at staying there. I have in the past worked with someone who has made and is making a lot of money. He hammers the price on every piece of work he buys in and as a result, he gets disillusioned people who frankly run out of enthusiasm for his endless demands. He treats people’s craft as if it were something you could pick up over a weekend with an instruction manual. Web designers, PR people, IT people are treated with absolute disdain and he always knows better than them. He doesn’t. Of course, hold people to high standards but DON’T THINK YOUKNOW THEIR CRAFT. You don’t.
3. You are not indispensable and things can wait. I have put off visiting my grandson because I was too busy. Then my back made me stop. And nothing fell apart. I am ashamed that I thought I was so bloody important. I have re-booked my trip to Spain.
4. Time to simply stop and ponder is invaluable. I preach this all the time and have stopped doing it. Tramadol and pain made me lie still with nothing to do but think (I know I should have kept moving but I couldn’t, despite half-hourly texts from the good Doctor reminding me to do so). And I came out of that period with ideas aplenty for new book chapters, new work and better ways to do what I do.
Out of adversity, as they say…
