I am trying to collect on a debt of almost $2,000.

I trusted a family to settle up the bill for their child's education, and they have not done so. Call it an "accidental scholarship." They're not responding to my emails.

A situation like this is the result of a breakdown of systems. After years in business, I should know better than to let things get this point, but accounts receivable has never been my strong suit.

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The other day, I finally went back to a coffee shop that I had last visited sometime in March 2020.

I'd grabbed coffee and snacks there from time to time, but I hadn't brought my laptop to do work there since right before the pandemic.

Going there used to be a key part of my routine. I would convince myself that a change of scenery was necessary in the middle of my workday—that I could not possibly get more work done in the same spot I'd been sitting in for the past three hours.

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For years, I resisted advertising for my music school.

I wanted it to be better before I invited new students in. I wanted things to be polished and perfected; I wanted every system to be functioning perfectly and every instructor to do things exactly as I would.

Well, it's been over a decade, friends, and I am still waiting for perfection that will never arrive. In the meantime, we've served hundreds of families who are pleased with what we offer (and sometimes, downright thrilled).

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A few years ago, I approached my uncle for help in solving a desperate situation.

I had to make payroll in just a few days, and I wasn't sure how I was going to do it.

I needed $20,000, and I had...I don't know. Maybe half that? It was bad.

I was grateful to have him (and a select few other outstanding human beings) to turn to in this situation, but I felt so much shame at being in such a predicament in the first place. Why had I let things get to this point? I had been promising too much and charging too little. I was a failure as a business owner.

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My father is incredibly good at taking care of things.

He maintains his home, clothing, musical instruments, vehicles, and personal effects to like-new condition. He never lets the lawn get out of control, and he repaints the house on a regular schedule.

I wish I had my father’s thoughtful fastidiousness and mise en place, but it is not my natural state. Whereas he has a daily routine of thorough vaccuuming and lovingly polishing the range with Bar Keepers Friend, my usual cycle is to spend days making giant messes and then hours cleaning them up.

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