It isn’t difficult with the present economy to find small business owners who are questioning their decisions and choices as a toll is taken on their finances. Many entrepreneurs are struggling to find their way to success and though the conditions are difficult, there are both challenges and opportunities in adversity.
Insurmountable odds that may cause some business owners to throw up their hands and quit, send others on a quest for ways to deal with the opposing factors. They have the resolve to keep going and to develop a method that will help them not only deal with present circumstances but will also help to avoid any future setbacks. Adversity has made these people stronger. Instead of looking the other way and pretending nothing is happening, they have accepted the challenge and began to put steps in place that will help them overcome any problems.
Adversity and Stress
Any serious challenge, whether physical, emotional or in this instance, financial, as it affects your livelihood, causes stress. It’s how you handle the stress that makes the difference. Staying up all night worrying, overeating, focusing on only a bad outcome – these are all good examples of how not to handle stress. Making reasonable decisions based on fact and working from there, trying to live your life in as normal a way as possible while still handling things in a responsible manner – this is the successful way to handle stress.
Lessons Learned
Transforming your business from one that is just on the edge to one that continues to grow or is at least stable will make you realize that you are a lot stronger than you thought. Confronting reality and making business decisions regarding issues you have never run into before will change you from a business owner to a business professional. Other business organizations and owners respect those with the tenacity to get things done under extreme circumstances and appreciate the leadership qualities that are the result of dealing with challenges.
Qualities Needed
To have the ability to deal with adversity and overcome it, you must be emotionally mature and emotionally intelligent. Big decisions call for big people, not those who will hide behind fear. Knowing where you want to go and having the wherewithal to get there by accessing outside sources if needed shows trust, a quality much needed in a successful business owner. Being able to put things in perspective and deal with them accordingly, in a professional way and without panicking shows that you can deal with tough situations and keep a cool head.
Know When to Ask for Help
In any situation where you face a problem that may end your business, don’t wait. Ask for help. Thinking you can do it all by yourself may be the mistake that causes your business to fail. Think of outsourcing some tasks to a virtual assistant and then concentrate on your business. While this may seem contrary and not cost effective, if you are worrying about every little thing involved in your business and not taking care of the big things, the impact may be loss instead of gain. Whether or not the situation you find yourself in has a positive outcome, adversity tends to strengthen the strong and break those who are weaker. Keeping your thoughts positive and focused on what needs to be done, choosing to be satisfied no matter what, will help you have the power to succeed.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2013
image courtesy of neimanlab
