As I’m writing this, I’m listening to the 60s channel on SiriusXM. It’s a channel I listen to a lot. That particular era is kind of my musical “home base.” It’s the music I tend to gravitate to — it’s my default. (I’ve heard it said that the music we tend to gravitate to is the music we were listening to between ages 16 and 24. That makes a lot of sense, except for me that would be 1973-1981 — and I hate disco.) Now, do I listen to anything else? Absolutely! I have an extensive collection of blues, jazz, and classical. I love 90s music (possibly because so much of it was made by my friends in Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam). But 60s is home base.

I’m guessing you have a musical home base as well. I’d be curious to know what that would be for you. If you’re so inclined, let me know in a comment.

You know what? I think it’s great to have a musical home base. But I also think it’s nice to stretch out, investigate new music, and expand our musical boundaries. Stretch, investigate, expand. Good words for music.

Essential words for business.

See, just like we all have a home base for music, we also have a home base for business. Call it what you will — “my comfort zone,” “my leadership style” — it’s the place we tend to gravitate to (retreat to?) when things get dicey. It’s natural, when things change, to want to go back to where we feel secure. “The monsters may be out there, but at least I’ve still got my blanket.” Changing times, however, require changing strategies. When things get dicey is when we most need to stretch, investigate, and expand.

Now, does that mean that we should change everything? Of course not. If you’ve got a particularly strong set of morals, values, and ethics, you may want to hold on to them. (On the other hand, if your morals, values, and ethics lean more toward, say, Tony Soprano, you might want to think about an upgrade.) And I’m a strong believer in the basics — whatever those may be in your business or industry. As a motivational speaker, some of my basics include: have a strong, relevant message; deliver that message in an amazing way on the stage; and be easy to work with (no prima donnas!). Those are my basics, and they won’t change. What are yours?

Your morals, values, and ethics, combined with a firm knowledge and mastery of the basics, form your foundation. But it’s what you build with that foundation that will change over time. That’s where you stretch, investigate, and expand.

So enjoy your home base. Embrace it. It’s a good reminder of where you come from, and where you’ve been. But get out of the house every now and then. Explore new neighborhoods. Listen to new music. And expand your business.