What To Do When "The Going Gets Tough"

What To Do When “The Going Gets Tough”
by Christine Kloser, “The Conscious Business Coach”

Have you heard the expression, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”? Me, too. In fact, I LIVED by this motto for most of my entrepreneurial life. This may sound familiar. When “the going got tough”, you got into action. You did more networking, more cold calling, more outreach, more marketing, more product development… more of everything. And, it felt like you were trying to push a huge boulder up hill! At least this is what it felt like to me.

Then, I discovered “the tough get going” mentality doesn’t work! That’s right folks. It just doesn’t work. Why? Because sometimes when “the going gets tough” you’re meant to step back and learn from the difficulties you’re facing and maybe make difference choices.

Before I share my 3 favorite strategies for handling those tough times, I’d like to share a story that demonstrates the power of NOT trying to push that boulder up hill. You see, last year I was planning a 1-day “multi-speaker” seminar in Los Angeles. I had done these events in the past and they had been VERY successful, earning me a generous 5-figure income for a FUN and SIMPLE event.

This time things were different. A few weeks before the event, my attendance numbers were quite discouraging. Here I was, planning to fly from my home on the east coast to Los Angeles to produce an event that would likely COST me money, not MAKE me money. Plus, I had 4 speakers lined up to come to Los Angeles to present to my audience. But, I wasn’t attracting the 100+ attendees I usually had at these events.

I was faced with a choice. I could work my tush off doing all sorts of promotion to keep the event afloat. Or, I could pay closer attention to the message I was getting to possibly cancel the event. The loud voices in my head were saying, “What will everyone think of me? I’m going to look like a big failure? What are the speakers going to say? Can I get out of my contract with the hotel?” Thankfully, I didn’t listen to them.

So, I decided to write the most vulnerable email I’ve ever sent. I told my readers I was feeling like I was being guided to cancel the event rather than work my tush off to make is successful. I asked for their honest opinion and feedback on why they weren’t registering to attend my seminar. And, promised them I’d make my final decision in a few days.

What happened next blew me away. I received email after email from people telling me they admired my vulnerability, found it refreshing to experience such authenticity in business, and gave me invaluable feedback on why they weren’t attending. These types of responses made it VERY easy to follow my initial gut response to cancel the event. The speakers understood and APPRECIATED I wasn’t going to make them be at an event with poor attendance (that’s happened to them a LOT). The hotel let me out of my contract without ANY fees, I developed a closer relationship with my readers AND I got to spend my time re-evaluating my business and developing new services instead of trying to “push that bolder up hill.” This was monumental to me.

Since reflecting on this experience, I’ve developed a 3-step process I use whenever the “going gets tough”. Below I share this process with the intention that it helps you, too.

3 Steps to Take When “The Going Gets Tough”

Gain Perspective. Take a break and get away from the details of your situation. When you’re too close to it, it’s impossible to see your options. Literally, step away from your desk, go for a walk, play with your dog, do something that gets you out of the “energy” of the issue at hand.

Ask. Next, ask the Universe what you’re meant to discover from the situation. This experience is part of the larger Divine plan for your life and there is an insight or lesson here for you to embrace.

Do What’s Right. Lastly, do what feels right to YOU without letting the fear-based voices in your head dictate your action. This may be the perfect opportunity for you to break a pattern, take a risk or make a choice that’s going to bring more JOY into your life.

The next time you hear someone say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” make the choice to not just “unconsciously get going”. Instead, decide to “CONSCIOUSLY get going” in the direction of your Divine plan.

© 2006 Christine Kloser

Want To Use This Article In Your Ezine or Website? You have my permission, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Christine Kloser "The Conscious Business Coach," publishes the revolutionary ‘Conscious Business Connection’ ezine. If you're ready to integrate business strategies with intangible/Universal principles to help you achieve results faster… and easier, visit www.ConsciousBusinessCircle.com.