We all have bad days when things aren’t going the way we want them to go. What makes you special and makes you successful is your ability to deal with those issues and turn your situation around. Tough situations, whatever they may be, are tests that are preparing you for the next part of your success.
Successful entrepreneurs that have created millions and billions in wealth have all had journeys that have had pitfalls and difficult times. What sets them apart is that they were persistent and they kept going until they reached the top. Difficult times are going to happen to you somewhere along your journey in creating wealth, so it’s important to know how to handle them when they come.
Too many of my clients feel pulled down by what other people say to them, that they’re not good enough, that they’ll never achieve the success they want, that they’ll be a failure. It’s important that you surround yourself with people who believe in you, and who can raise you up instead of cutting you down. If you have the right people around you who believe you can be successful, who can help you are moving toward your goals, you will be in a much better environment mentally. Issues will come up, and you will be a much better place to overcome them if you have the right community around you. If you’re constantly focused on the negative things being said to you, you won’t be focused on the most important thing, which is achieving the results you want to achieve.
I’m going to give you five things to stop doing, and five things to start doing to help you when you’re feeling stressed or when you feel like your back is up against the wall.
Stop doing these things:
1. Stop relying on bad habits
If you feel like you are struggling, whatever you do, don’t feed that stress with drinking, smoking, gambling, or any other sort of mind-altering distraction. In order to break through and create the results you want you to need to keep focused. Don’t let yourself fall into a downward spiral that only makes things worse. At the end of the day, when you have a struggle in your business, you need to stand tall and be able to attack it, and you don’t want to be doing anything that puts you in a poor state.
2. Stop getting advice from the wrong people
Make sure the people you go to for advice are qualified and have the experience that can benefit you and your business. If you ask for advice from someone who isn’t qualified to give it, you’re not going to achieve what you want to achieve. You’re going to end up doing the wrong things, and your results will be worse than they would have been otherwise. Also, don’t look to your employees for advice, because they’re looking to you for leadership and motivation. By relying on them, you’re throwing them into the center of the storm, rather than guiding them through it.
3. Don’t cut costs out of desperation
While it may be tempting to cut costs everywhere when times are challenging, you will likely only hurt your business in the end. If you start cutting out things that are important and will help your business grow, you might just start to make things even worse—it’s death by a thousand cuts. Instead, focus on whether your issues are related to cash flow or if they’re business success issues. If you need to increase sales, look at increasing your marketing budget or getting good outside advice, even if you have to pay for it. Don’t let yourself get into a situation where you panic and start to do the wrong things.
Don’t cut your budgets for marketing, sales, coaching, or training, because these are going to help you in your endeavor to create better results. If you start cutting these things, you’re going to put yourself in a position where you really start to become more exposed, and you’ll be cutting yourself off at the knees. Don’t get me wrong, if your marketing isn’t working, you should test out some other routes that might work better. Work to improve it, instead of eliminating it.
4. Don’t forget what makes you successful
What are the principles that made you successful and helped you to get to where you are today? As we grow and become more successful and overcome challenges, many people forget that are successful. I’ve met people who have been enormously successful but don’t feel like they are successful at all, because they’re always trying to achieve more. If you’re one of these people, you need to stop every once in a while and remind yourself of what you’ve achieved, what successes you’ve had, and how you achieved them.
5. Don’t dwell on problems all the time
We all have bad days, but don’t let it keep you up at night. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I go home and remind myself that tomorrow is a new day, and I disengage from the stress of the day because there’s no point keeping myself up at night, making myself tired and miserable the next day. What kind of changes can you make to a situation at 11:00 at night. Get some sleep, rest your mind, and get ready to go again tomorrow and you will start getting better results.
Start doing these things:
1. Exercise
Exercise releases endorphins that help sharpen your mind. I feel more prepared for challenges and can get through tough situations more easily if I’ve been exercising. Several years ago, when I was going through a difficult time in business, a coach told me that I needed to get myself to the gym, start to sweat, sharpen my mind sharp, and that I would start to see better results. I did exactly that, and it was a massive help. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a perfect physique, but I still go to the gym to work out for my mind and to get rid of stress. And afterward, I’ll often go in the steam room or go in the Jacuzzi to relax. These things help me clear my mind, get myself prepared and be ready to move forward. And if you’re not into the gym, you can go for a run or just go for a long walk with your dog.
2. Open new doors
When you feel doors are closing around you, then it’s time to open some new ones. That could mean that you’re going to diversify your business, you’re going to do things a bit differently, you’re going to make 15 more calls a day than usual. Whatever it is, opening new doors will get you out of your rut and lead you to new opportunities.
3. Work harder on your relationships
Think about those relationships you may have neglected in business, and consider reacquainting yourself with those people. Relationship building is very important in business, and it’s often easier to rekindle an old friendship or reconnect with old colleagues than it is to develop new friendships. Part of the work is already done, so reach out and talk to those people about what you’re doing now. It is vital in business to cultivate both new and old relationships.
4. Keep your mind sharp
This sounds easy, but many of us forget to read, listen to interesting podcasts, watch inspiring lectures—whatever it is that inspires and educates us. Learn by reading a book by someone who has some great and helpful business stories, listen to audiobooks, find ways to keep yourself inspired and on point.
5. Talk to people
Talk to people you trust outside your business to get their advice. Talk to people who have been through what you’re going through, who have pulled through it. They’re likely to have some very good advice. No one is perfect, and everyone has had struggles, so reach out to people you may not even know to get their thoughts. It’s very important to get new voices around you because when you have new voices, you get new ideas, and you get new inspiration.