Herman School of Business
Inner Support & Letting Go
Several times a year my daughter comes home from New York for a little time with Dad. This is the daughter who lives in the Big Apple and works as a designer for Calvin Klein. Any time I can get one-on-one time with one of my children is sheer heaven for me. Catching up with any of them gives me a chance to learn about their lives…and they always teach me something about mine.
Colleen had two essential things on her mind: 1) where do you go for support and strength when you feel uneasy, or when things get sticky and 2) how are you able to let go of something and move on, without it holding you back? Tells me volumes as a Dad, but whatever it is that she is considering didn’t all come out during this session. See, she has a birthday in a few days and so contemplating where she is in life is natural, and her not giving me the whole story just means we will get our heads together again soon.
First, let’s tackle where support comes from for entrepreneurs, or people who are in a leadership position. It doesn’t come from others, it comes from inside. Others panic before you do when waters get rough, because they don’t have either the vision or the confidence you have. The strength to keep going comes from the same place you started from…it comes from yourself. Check where you are in a realistic fashion, don’t sugarcoat the situation to yourself, make sure you are still moving ahead, with more action needed on your part, and before you know it a calm will return, and your confidence will get you through.
Next is the part where you let go of something that isn’t working and concentrate on the future. This comes from how much you believe in yourself and how honest you are with yourself. If you like reality, meaning you live by the numbers and believe the data you get from the marketplace, and you know you have no other actions you can take to make it work, then you should have no issue moving on. Probably the harshest thing about reality is that “it is” whether you believe it or not. If what you have done has not worked enough to make the finish line, then you must know if there is anything else you can try to make progress. I don’t mean pray harder, or wish with your eyes closed tighter, I mean is there really another step you can do, or another way to market your deal, or could you just put more time in and see if that does it?
If what you want is success, then be honest with yourself. I really take issue with owners who stay in a business that mathematically has gone under, yet they keep going to work every day as if a bolt of lightning will strike and make things all better. Letting go is as easy as believing reality. And understanding that you have done every possible thing to be successful and therefore it is time for something new, no matter how hard the truth is to take.
- Posted: 12 February 2008
- Comments: 0
- Category: Business success
add a comment