Entrepreneurs - If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It!

Someone recently asked me, “How is it that you can wake up every day and do the same thing over and over again and still maintain enthusiasm?” My response was, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” I am referring to having a mind that is made up - that I am going through with my dreams. I am not letting headaches, setbacks, or recessions turn me around. I have the attitude that I will never give up; I will never give in. Abundance is mine, and I am not stopping until it manifests.

The Struggle

The more I affirm these beliefs and intentions, the more my aspirations become a reality. So many of us (entrepreneurs), give up too quickly on our dreams. When in fact, much of the experience is just a ‘test’. It’s like God is saying, do you want it or not? Are you willing to do what it takes to get it? Remember, success is not easy! Business is no place for sissies. This is why so many people are unsuccessful - they want the reward, but not the struggle.

Business typically slows during the summers for me, but June, July, August, and most of September, 2010 had been unseasonably dry and I’m not talking about the weather! It was a virtual Tsunami of challenges, like none I had ever experienced before. Those few months felt like, ‘The Summer of Discontentment - The Summer of Despair’ when nothing seemed to go my way. I was making sales calls, sending emails, writing grants, trying to expand my marketing niche into the college market, and I was pitching for grant consulting projects with non-profits.

I was firing off in a lot of directions, but the only response I was receiving was negative.  Nothing seemed to be hitting the mark. Yet, I got up every day, just like I had a million dollars, and I started again, with the attitude, “It’s coming, it’s going to happen.” I persisted in my calling and my pitching so much so that even on vacation I was calling on new prospects.

The Comeback

Just as I seemed to be headed into the last quarter of the year without anything substantial to show for it, I turned up with a multi-million-dollar, multi-year grant project and several opportunities to speak on both high school and college campuses for the rest of the year! Additionally, one of the tours that I researched the year prior seemed to come together through rigorous planning and networking.  It yielded a cash flow until the end of the year.

See, if you are not in the game, you can’t catch the ball when it’s thrown your way, and it will be thrown your way, as long as you persist and never quit. You must get up every day and take action that moves you ahead. Continue to review your goals, affirm your beliefs, make contacts, send out sales material, and make personal contacts with decision-makers and other influential people who know other people. Nurture your contacts and remain positive.

The Lesson

It’s been a great lesson, and I wholeheartedly agreed with Calvin Coolidge when he said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Where does the drive come from to keep going when the odds are against you? I believe it comes from an internal KNOWING that you KNOW! It comes from the experience of watching God work - knowing that God is real and that he has never failed you. As long as you believe in Him, you will be victorious! You must believe in yourself. If you want more money, more joy, more freedom, and more fulfilment - Get in the Game! Stay focused on your goals. Have Fun, Help Others, Share Your Journey. Be Grateful for the Journey and never forget what God has done for you. Reflecting on this knowledge alone will help you get through your dry seasons.

For without faith, it is impossible to please God.