The Big Picture / The Long View

I've been doing a 5 question marketing survey lately (thanks to those who took the time to answer, and thanks in advance to those of you I have yet to call), and I've been hearing a lot of fear. Fear about the economy, fear about money, fear about business survival. So let's talk about that.

For some people (and I've been getting at least one email a week with a really sad story of lost work, lost home, etc.), their personal situation is truly disastrous. But you know, I've been hearing these stories for years (though less frequently than I hear them now). Because I stay in touch with people, I find out what happens, which is that most everyone gets out alive, wiser for it -- and often happier, too. New, more satisfying careers come out of a crisis, more alive living situations come out of a crisis, better relationships come out of a crisis, at least in the long run. So embrace the change, no matter how hard that seems right now.

If your situation feels truly desperate, you probably already know what you have to do to -- shed assets (perhaps for pennies on the dollar), cut your monthly expenses drastically (moving to slash your housing cost, switching to a cheaper phone plan, ditching the land line, etc.), perhaps file bankruptcy, and take whatever work you can get, even if it's not in your field, even if barely pays. At least it's something. The operative question here is, what do I really need? And that's probably way less than you think.

For most of us, though, it's not that desperate. What this is, is a perfect time to regroup, and look at the big picture over the longer term. Because we all know that the recession will end eventually. Things will turn up. Are you going to be positioned to take advantage of that when it comes? Or are you gong to crawl into a hole of despair until things get better, and let the people who took this opportunity to prepare, eat your lunch then, too?

If you could live your life any way you want, if you could make a living any way you want, what would that be? What would you be doing? Where would you be doing it? Who would you be doing it with? What would you do in a normal day? What resources do you already have to get you there?

Asking these questions serves not only to you, but also the world. The world needs each of us to bring our unique gifts to the world, to reshape it in a healthier form. Living from less than who you truly are serves neither you, nor the world.

NOW is the time to think about these things, to have a vision of what you choose, in complete alignment with your deepest self. Then, make a plan to get from here to there, for your business and for yourself. Do you want an evolutionary plan? Or a revolutionary plan?

And if you'd like some help with either the vision or the plan, call me now at 888-4-HOLLIS (888-446-5547). I have lots of tools to help you, from my coaching training to NLP and hypnotherapy training to my Harvard MBA and 25+ years of small business experience.