I milked a cow! Yes, this city girl did it.
Why? You ask. Well, I love trying new things. Mark and I live in "the country" now. We escaped the hustle and bustle of metro mayhem for rural roads, pastures, and old barns. We've fallen in love with our local farming community and aim to help it however we can through our nonprofit, HireSmart Cares.
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Our young granddaughters were with us for a few days, and I wanted them to see where their ice cream came from. They must understand that eggs aren't created magically in the Styrofoam container Mama buys at Kroger. And ice cream requires a cow, not just a tightly gripped spoon. So, a friend let us bring the girls over, and they watched as their grandmother milked her first cow.
Yes, there was some giggling in the audience. But I stepped out of my comfort zone. It's not something the young Anne would have seen in her future. But over the years, I've realized I must embrace regular challenges to my easily maintained "status quo." The "same old thing" is a choice we make without realizing the risk of atrophy in certain areas. We need to keep that brain alert and open to what's new. That's living, right? Experiencing new things.
I read with interest about scientists studying the health benefits of ice baths, articles like "Are Ice Baths Health or Just Hype?" Whatever the scientists ultimately conclude, many people who dip in icy waters vouch for its rejuvenating qualities. They feel the hurt of cold, then experience a soothing calm and a relief of muscle pains.
I think they also feel euphoria from the shock of sudden change. The body jolted into a completely different environment that initially feels unmanageable. But then the senses overcome that biting pain of freezing with a new reality, one where the mind makes it through a physical tribulation, discovering positives on the other side. That's always a triumph.
Most changes hold some aspect of that, right? Change is, by nature, a rip away from a status quo, a step outside our comfort zone.
Every year, I aim to step out of my comfort zone over the next 12 months, personally and professionally.
Do you relate to this? What's your comfort zone, and how do you venture out of it?
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My business is mainly about comfort zones related to hiring. When most companies have a vacancy, there's the traditional approach (the comfort zone) to filling it. They advertise locally and consider applicants from a drivable distance, or they take someone's recommendation of a friend or acquaintance. These aren't highly targeted ways to approach hiring; businesses must pay wages comparable to similar jobs in the local market to fill the spot.
But what if you could a.) hire someone reliable who is specifically suited for your needed role and b.) find that person in a market with a substantially lower cost of living, cutting your annual costs for that position by $ 27,000 to $ 33,000 or more?
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This is now available to business owners who take a comprehensive hiring approach. Consider what duties must be done onsite in your "boots-on-the-ground" roles, and then consider what can be handled in an office. Does the location of an office employee matter to you? If so, how much? Enough to pay for space, utilities, equipment, benefits, and U.S. market wages? If the answer is "Yes," you should stick with the status quo.
But if "No" or "Maybe" are your answers, then potentially stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to significant benefits. And it's worth investigating for the sake of fully understanding your options.
I stepped out of my comfort zone in a big way by hiring my first virtual employee. Once I did, I realized I needed to throw my life in a new direction — a financial milk-the-cow or icy bath on a massive scale — because the reality of global hiring was so powerful. My husband and I created an international hiring agency to help businesses scale in ways they simply can't by traditional means. It's honestly amazing.
Anne Lackey's Company Offers a Unique Virtual Solution for Staffing Issues
But you better have good remote employees, right? That's the big catch. And that's what I've spent nearly a decade perfecting, a process to link U.S. businesses with the best employees in the Filipino job market. It's not easy to get on my shortlist. Only one percent of our Filipino applicants are hired to serve our clients. We are disciplined in our process, and you won't find anyone in this industry with higher standards.
Are you interested in stepping out of your hiring comfort zone and considering all options?
Beyond that, you're wondering: "So the city girl milked a cow, but is she going to jump in a freezing lake now?"
Well, meet with me here, and I'll let you know!