Business & Careers Article: Choose to stop or choose to go

By: Rochelle Dent of Leaps 'n' Bounds Coaching

Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never. Never - in anything great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. - Winston Churchill

I've been pondering the question lately - how do you know the difference between when to keep going and when you're flogging a dead horse (so to speak).

I'm a strong supporter of patience and persistence being the major difference between those that are successful and those that aren't, but there's no point being patient and persistant going down the wrong track.

Perhaps you've put together a workshop that has only attracted a couple of people so far - and it's on next week. You might get a surge right at the last moment, or you might get the two you've got pull out.

Perhaps you've followed up a potential client a couple of times and you're still getting the 'I really want to do it but I'm just busy right now' story. They might say yes the very next time you call, or they may just be afraid of offending you if they say no.

Maybe you had expectations that your whole business would be much further along than it is right now. It could be an amazing success in two years time, or it may never really be worth the time you've put into it.

So how do you know which way it's going to go? How do you make the decision whether to keep going with a positive attitude and hope in your heart, or to admit defeat.

The first step would be to find a crystal ball, but if you're having difficulty coming by one of those, let me share the questions I ask myself around this area.

1. Am I happy? Do/will I enjoy sharing the information or skills through this workshop? Do I still love what I'm doing in my business? Will this client be the ideal client for me?

2. What is the opportunity cost? If I wasn't doing this what would I be doing instead? Is that worth (and I don't just mean financial worth) more to me than what I'm currently doing?

3. Has somebody else succeeded before in what I'm trying to do now? If yes then what are/did they do that I haven't tried yet? If no why not? Can I talk to someone that has done it and ask them about their experiences?

4. Will I learn something from the experience?

5. What do I feel in my heart? This takes some quiet time (meditation time if you are willing and able).

If I'm happy with the answers I get to these questions then I carry on. If I'm not then I know it's time to look at the alternatives. It's certainly not an exact science - in fact it's incredibly subjective - but it helps me to make the decision.

Leap 'n' Bound: Next time you have a stop or go decision to make consider these questions to help strengthen your decision.

Back to Business & Careers Section

---

Advertise Here!