Embrace Desperation

I've written a very interesting article on embracing these desperate times for a magazine, Carolina Blueprint. I wanted to share it with you:

Innovation, creativity, and positive change are always just around the corner, and many people are being forced to find them in order to stay in business.

The markets are currently and increasingly difficult, the credit crunch is hampering everyone’s ability for expansion, and the few dollars people do have, they want to keep for themselves. We really are in a “sink or swim” situation.

What a great way to start a motivational article, right? When you realize that 98% of change is created through one of two ways, you’ll agree.

Most of us, myself included, only change for one of two reasons; inspiration or desperation. The problem I’ve found is that most business owners aren’t very inspired after the initial inspiration that started their business in the first place. What’s wrong with a lack of inspiration? It creates a stagnant market that can’t adapt or innovate quickly enough when its foundation shifts.

When things break, it always is a big deal. Think about it.

Companies are considered successful when the break away from the competition. It’s always great news to hear that you’ve broken into a new market or broke the previous sales record. When you watch the news you hear about people breaking out of jail, or breaking into cars and houses. Last time you went to a conference you probably went to a break out session, and when you were younger, I’m sure you had more than one break up with someone else.

Not only are all of the above examples similar in the fact that things broke, their all things that happen frequently, and are all things that are fixed, mended, or repaired by individuals much less intelligent and innovative than you.

The credit markets are currently askew and the housing market is slow. It would be fair to say that their temporarily broken. The government is working on everything within their power to bring things back to normal, as nothing is beyond repair.

This still doesn’t change the fact that we’re trying to change out of desperation. Desperate for change or not, the fact that we’re acting is the key towards our continued success in the market.

The problem that happens with most individuals is that when acting out of desperation, we easily get frustrated, give up, and let our circumstances get the best of us.

Stop fighting it, and learn to embrace it. The changes we make, the things we create, and ideas that allow us to innovate today, is what will ultimately shape not only our business, but our industry in tomorrow.

Learning to not only create a change in the marketplace, but embrace it is no easy task. There’s one tip that I use frequently that creates almost instantaneous change in the way we behave.

Create a “Stop Doing List”.

Most of us have a “To Do” list, yet I’m willing to be that most of the things we are actually doing, aren’t on it. By creating a “Stop Doing List” you instead list the things that are counterproductive, destructive, and ultimately detrimental to your business.

In addition to creating a stop doing list, I suggest doing two other things within the next 24 hours:

1. Go purchase the book “Thinker Toys” by Michael Michalko – This book teaches you how to have more “Aha!” moments.
2. Write down weather you’re acting out of inspiration or desperation, and why. Is it a lack of funds, poor clientele, or maybe even growth that is too rapid? In order to know where we must go, we must first know where, or in this case what, we’re trying to get away from.