I’m a consultant who helps sole proprietors who are stuck on important projects or whose businesses are in trouble. Rather than come up with solutions, I tell my clients to look within for the answers. No matter how many experts you call in, or books you read, the fate of your business rests on your shoulders. Here’s a story about how one person shifted from a “Great Depression” mindset and got her business back in the black!
The travel industry is particularly vulnerable to swings in the economy. After spending the last 20 years barely making a living, my client woke up to the fact that her travel agency was a hair’s breadth from bankruptcy. I asked her to list what she wanted. She ended up with three sheets of viable actions and a smile on her face. “I never stopped to ask myself what I wanted,” she said, looking as if a weight had lifted. She had been so focused on paddling, she forgot to look up to see if the direction suited her current needs and desires.
This reflective questioning produced a miraculous shift. She decided not to bail out, but relocated her business to her home and advertised for outside agents. The office building also wrote off her unpaid rent, so her business began operating in the black in less time than she imagined.
The trick is to set aside concerns about how you are going to survive. Next, tune out the folks who say your financial goal is just a pipe dream. With the pressure off, get into a relaxed, creative state. Start to feel good. Write down answers to these questions, listening to your intuition, going with your hunches.
Why are you intent on having this business in the first place? What caused you to create it. Or, what caused you to come up with the project idea? Do you know it’s worth the time, creative effort, and resources you are giving it? Keep exploring as you question what you need to do and how you need to work with others to succeed in your business or project.
David Allen, in recent newsletter, (subscribe at www.davidco.com/productivity_principles.php) wrote that “Direction is more productive than discipline.” I take that to mean, it’s unproductive to keep paddling when the direction isn’t at all what you desire. Nor should you wait for the Aha! experience of your life purpose flashing before your eyes.
So don’t wait for President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package to kick in, start to take action now! A good question to ponder, now that congress has approved the stimulus package, is what to do to get our careers on track and participate in the economic recovery.
As my client discovered, deciding what we want and setting our own agendas gives us tremendous financial freedom.
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