Friday Food for Thought

The truth is…even the best of the best of the best of us weren’t always at our best.

Being best often times means digging in and just trying really damn hard.  Harder than the other guy.

When I talk with people I find that we are all alike in one way…we think we are the only ones.  We read about successful businesses and successful people and assume that they have never struggled and that we must be doing something wrong.

Nope.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Everyone has failures.

Donald Trump has failed and failed and failed and here he is again on top of his game.  I suspect that he’s learned from those failures and although it is hard to imagine him failing again…it could happen.  And, if it did, he’d just get back to it.

If you feel like your efforts aren’t paying off, if you don’t see an influx of new traffic to your web site or to your retail location, if you don’t find the phone ringing off the hook, if your email box isn’t full…don’t fret…it happens to the best us.

I’ve had weeks where the phone didn’t ring – at all.  It freaks you out.  Especially when you are on a roll.  Imagine that after 9 years in business, the phone doesn’t ring for a week.  Happened to me in February.  It was scary at first.  Like everyone else might do…I freaked out.

But then I gathered myself up and said, “Okay, what can I do to change this?”

I put together a new flyer and sent it out my best customers, I got lots of administrative stuff done, I threw some stuff up on eBay, I organized my office and wrote on my whiteboard…”There’s another bus coming…”

And 10 days later the phone started to ring again.  It hasn’t stopped and I’m grateful.  BUT it will happen again, it always does, it is the nature of business.

My point is this; everyone has those times, not just you and not just me.

You simply cannot buy into the idea that the other guy has it made and never struggles…and has never failed…it just isn’t true.

Take your battle scars seriously; they are the true measure of your greatness.  Make an inventory of those scars and then fold it up and put it away.  When you find it later, months later, I suspect you’ll realize it wasn’t all that bad and that you survived it whatever it was.

Now, get back to work being the best you can be and remember “There’s another bus coming…” and it will be filled with customers!

Have a battle scar to share?  Think you are all alone?  Please share it with others so they can feel better and you will too.

And, tweet this to someone you know who needs a lift!