Blizzard prep in a trailer & tent ... [🐝U]

A blizzard is hitting me later today … in my tiny trailer with a tent attached.

Technically, the weather people aren’t calling it that …
BUT when you’re getting 10 inches of snow in 24 hours + wind, that’s close enough for me.

Logically, I should pack up the tent, load everything into the truck & drive away.
That’s what a “normal” person would do.

I’ve been called many things in my life … “normal” has never been 1 of them 😉

The real fun part?
Power managementI’m off-grid … using solar for electricity.
No sun for 3 days = no charging the batteries on my solar system (or trailer)
So I need to be creative & very intentional about what I use power on (& how long)

Of course, the timing couldn’t be worse.
Thursday & Friday … ALL day … is the GURU Conference that I have to attend … & not because I want to hear Nicole Kidman speak … I want to keep my email certification!

So what in the frilly heck is the point of all this?

When your power’s low, creativity has to kick in

When the storm hits, logic takes a backseat & creativity has to take the wheel.

Out here, with the wind picking up, the temps droping about as fast as battery storage, I’m reminded…

Creativity … “thinking outside the box” … MacGyvering your way through …
Call it what you will … it’s not an abstract skill.
It’s survival.

Because when you’re a solopreneur, there’s no one to delegate “up” to, no “backup generator”

It’s ALL you.
You are the boss
You are the backup plan

So it’s on you to figure things out.
You’ve got to step back, look at the challenge from every angle, & find a way through.

That’s not something you’re born with.
It’s something you learn … & it’s HOW we learn as children.
But it’s subdued by authority figures (teachers, boxes, even parents) as we grow up.

We need to tap back into that sense of curiosity & wonder to survive any storms we face in life.

You can’t think your way out of inaction

We can’t be afraid to “fail”
& yes, that’s 1 of the biggest traps we fall into as solo-preneurs

We hold back because we’re:
→ “not ready”
→ “don’t know enough”

& we convince ourselves we’re being productive when we’re really just avoiding.

Perfectionism = #FakeNews

You’ve got to do something … even when the batteries are half dead & the snow pile’s threatening to collapse your tent.

Curiosity is the real productivity hack

When you’re stuck, channel your inner 2-year-old

Ask:
→ what happens if I try ___?
→ could I repurpose ___ to help me with ___?

That curiosity muscle … that sense of adventure… the “what if” mindset … that sparks creativity.
& the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

The skill keeping you from being like everyone else

Critical thinking is just the adult version of asking better questions. Having a different perspective.

Why it matters:
→ It builds your problem-solving muscles.
→ It helps you connect dots across different areas of your life & business.
(In marketing, that’s everything. You don’t want to sound like everyone else.)
→ It keeps your brain flexible & focused.

& honestly, because you stop seeing obstacles & start seeing options, it helps you stay calm & focused when things get messy

You don’t need a degree for that.
My dad sure didn’t.

MacGyver School: lessons I didn’t know I was learning

My dad didn’t make it out of grade school.
But he could fix almost anything with what he already had.

I’d get frustrated watching him work for hours on what I thought was a “quick fix.”
“Why don’t you just go buy the part?”

He’d smile & tell me,
“Most times, we already have everything we need to get the job done. We just don’t see it yet.”

Back then, I thought he was just being cheap.
Now I realize he was teaching me one of the most valuable lessons in business (& life):
Resourcefulness beats resources every time.

The puzzle table approach to problem-solving

I think about that a lot these days … especially parked out here on bare land with nothing but what fits in my trailer & truck.

Imagine dumping a bunch of puzzle pieces onto a table.
They’re all upside down.
And you don’t even have the picture on the box.

That’s entrepreneurship in a nutshell.

Right now, I’ve got 50% battery, a few hours of sunlight left, with tables & boxes stacked to keep the tent from collapsing under the snow.

Because snowing during the day when I can watch it would be too easy, apparently.

I’ve got 60% battery in the truck as backup.
A reMarkable tablet to draft ideas before I risk powering up the laptop or even thinking of going online with the Starlink.

Will it be enough?
I don’t know.
I guess you’ll find out if I get another email to you Sunday morning 😊

Turns out, being snowed in is a great teacher. Especially when it forces you to stop pretending you’re being productive.

Even procrastination has a purpose

Dr. Bernadette Stockwell (author of Do Your ARt!) said something in her newsletter that stuck with me:

“There’s creativity even in procrastination.”

& it’s 1,000,000% true when you stop to think about it.

We’re often most creative when we’re finding ways not to do something.
We just don’t notice it because we’re too focused on what we didn’t do, instead of how we avoided doing it.

Sitting here in my trailer, bundled up under a sleeping bag, blanket & duvet cover … waiting for the snow to pile up, I realize procrastination doesn’t have to be “wasted” time.

It’s thinking in disguise.

The trick is catching the moment when curiosity flips from “avoid” to “act.

That’s when the real creative spark happens … whether your storm is weather, business, or fear.

Now that I see it, I can use that awareness to my advantage — to do instead of avoid.

We’re all students, even when we’re teaching

I think there’s a lot to be said for “co-mentoring” — learning from others as much as they learn from you.

Because no matter how experienced we are, we’ll never know it all.
And that’s a good thing.
It keeps us curious, humble, and willing to grow.

I’ve mentored her.
I’ve even inspired articles for her to publish in Psychology Today

& she mentors me in other ways too.

Now it’s your turn …

What’s your version of a blizzard right now?
The thing that’s testing your resourcefulness, your patience, or your confidence?

Before you try to outrun it — take a breath and prep for it instead.

Here are 3 steps to get you started:
→ Identify what’s really at risk.
Most storms aren’t as dangerous as they feel.
Write down what would actually happen if you just stayed & figured it out by looking at it from as many angles as you can think of

→ Inventory what you already have.
Skills, tools, people, experiences. I guarantee you have more resources than you realize.

→ Make a micro-plan.
Pick one small thing you can do to move forward … even if it’s just a single email, call, or sketch on a napkin.

The snow hasn’t started … yet!
But the tent’s stiffened up from the cold, the windows in the trailer are freezing over, & somehow, I’m calm.

Creativity isn’t about perfect conditions.

It’s about showing up anyway … curious, half-charged, & always willing to try.

You just need to start.

 So if you’re staring at your own blizzard right now, don’t pack up & walk away.
Stop.
Identify the challenge
Assess what you have
Start piecing things together

You’ll be amazed to find how creative your ideas become to survive the storm.

Make it a great “storm-riding“ week!
EG

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