How to Survive the Tough Times

Look... Let's be honest. There's no "one size fits all" solution to survival during challenging times. But there are some strategies that will help no matter what situation you and your business are in.

The first strategy, for starters, is not to take things too seriously. I know that there can be significant consequences as a result of the things we do or don't do, but in the big picture - in the scope of things that REALLY matter - these consequences are incidental. Have you ever heard the expression, "Don't sweat the small stuff, and everything is small stuff"? When you put the everyday occurrences of life into perspective, most of them don't really matter all that much.

It's more important than ever in tough times to keep everything in its proper perspective. "Things" don't matter all that much. It's nice to have toys and gadgets, but toys can be replaced and we can still enjoy life without every latest gadget. Yes,... it's important to make a good impression, but as I've said over and over for many years, PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO YOU BY WHO YOU ARE. People aren't attracted to you by the suit you wear or the toys you have. It's "who you are as a person" that causes people to be attracted to you, choose to do business with you, and decide to follow you.

Don't get me wrong, toys, gadgets, and suits are nice to have. My point is simply that if you have to forego some of them in tough times, it won't have much bearing on your success. Don't take things so seriously. Instead, during tough times, be the best "you" that you can be. A good place to start is by working on your attitude. People want to be around positive people. In addition, positive people are more creative. When they are faced with a challenge, they decide to overcome it and are solution-oriented. Negative people tend to focus on the obstacle and get "stuck".

How do you work on attitude? Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Cut out the negative messages. Stop watching TV news. Stop reading the newspaper. Trust me. In this day and age, you can't help but hear about the really important things. There's no need to seek them out (along with all the negative news and stories). Avoid negative people. What you focus on determines your reality. If you hang around with people who see everything in a negative light, you will see everything in a negative light. It will become your reality. You can see where I'm headed with this. If you want positive things to happen in your life, hang out with positive people. Positive people share what works; negative people share what doesn't work. Your present reality will slowly shift to a more positive reality as you associate with positive people..

If you really want to kick your attitude into high gear, don't just eliminate negative messages, decide to introduce positive messages. Get your hands on some tapes or CD's that will help you grow. Listen to motivational and personal growth programs. Will you notice an immediate change? No. But you will over time...