This Wasn’t a Part of the Plan: 3 Tips for Adjusting to Life’s Punches
What do you do when life throws you a curveball? Every day we make plans, set new goals and have new dreams. But, what happens to the plan when life gets real? My life has been a series of failed plans that led to strategic comebacks and great victories! I always say that if I lose a dollar today, I am coming up with a plan today that I am going to put in action today to make two dollars tomorrow. All of that simply means that when I get knocked down, I bounce back…quickly. Bouncing back is not just a matter of saying it, you have to actually put some actions and plans into place and move on them quickly. As a business owner or industry leader, you must live a solution based life. When something does not go as planned, you have to think of creative and innovative ways to make up for what you lost and to be better than you were before. Here are some tips for adjusting to life’s punches:
Do not go ahead of your path – Do not jump to the next thing because thing #1 did not work. I am so tired of seeing people who are planning events today, photographing animals tomorrow, selling lipstick next week and last year they were trying to sell salt to slugs. The root of this messiness is a quest for money. If you get into business for money, you have already started for the wrong reasons. Stop jumping all over the place trying to find the fastest way to make a buck. You will see the level of success that you are supposed to see and make the amount of money you are supposed to make when it is your time! Take your time walking your path and stop trying to jump ahead of the process.
Be a possibility thinker – You have to see the building on the empty lot of land and the product on the empty space on the shelf before it is ever developed! Life can be overwhelmingly distracting and discouraging at times but you still have to hold on to your vision. Keep your eyes on the prize regardless of how many times the prize may drop out of view. When it does, that means that it is time for you to adjust your perspective to bring the goal back into view so that you can keep pressing to achieve it.
Stay Consistent – Nothing great ever came from giving up. Who do you know that achieved anything the moment that they gave up? Life is going to happen whether you are ready or not. It is also going to happen with or without you so you need to stay in the race and remain consistent. You have to show people that although plan A did not work out, you are still going to remain consistent in promoting the business, working on the goal, meeting with your team and staying motivated. Your consistency is going to lend itself to the amazing stories that are being developed that will later encourage others. It will absolutely blow their minds that you stuck with the goal when you lost all of your money in manufacturing, when you had your whole team quit on you and when you were on the brink of depression because of it all.
One thing that you must always remember is to be flexible with your methods; not your goals. Don’t give up on a goal just because it didn’t work the first time. If you want to invent a new product and the product doesn’t turn out the way that you planned, don’t give up on creating the product. You simply think of another way to create it. Work with what you have and leverage your networks to help you achieve your goals. Anyone who has ever seen any level of success knows what it is like to fail. Be determined to swing back when life throws a punch! Don’t bow out like a punk! (I give tough love ☺ ) This is all going to make an amazing story!