Grab The Next Ring

Some people are planners. I am. Some people prefer to fly by the seat of their pants or let everything work itself out. Other people are in the middle of the spectrum and would like to plan but don’t know where to start. In difficult and stressful situations, even though people may gravitate towards one style or another, good planning can become difficult for anyone.

I have found over years, when people are in a tough spot and it looks as though the ground may crumble beneath them, or the walls may fall down around them, the fear can be paralyzing. Furthermore, good strategic planning is next to, if not entirely, impossible when the planning is surrounded with and based on fear.

It’s like a circus performer who climbs the ladder all the way to the top of the arena, with the intent of wowing the crowd with her acrobatic talents by twirling and swinging on the rings hung from the ceiling. As she reaches out to grab that first ring and take her first leap above the crowd, all she can think about is how there is NO NET below her. Thoughts race through her head as her heart begins to pound and her hands get sweaty. She thinks about is how much it would hurt to fall – if she didn’t die she would at least be paralyzed for the rest of her life. She thinks about how disappointed the crowd would be, and what they would say about her personally -what they will say about her failure. She thinks about her friends and family and how much it will hurt them financially to not have her performing anymore. These thoughts and this fear will be devastating to her. If she hesitates as she reaches out, if she doesn’t get enough momentum, if she doesn’t commit to grabbing that next ring, she WILL stagnate and slip and fall – her worst nightmare come true.

I know most people would say she should rationalize the fear away. If she ever told anyone these thoughts, she would likely hear responses such as, “Just don’t think about it! Buck up! Be brave! Everything will be FINE!” That is BAD advice. Thinking like that never saved anyone. People may get lucky, but that’s all it is – luck. Thinking like that ignores the real and present danger that does exist. The reality of the situation is that she COULD fall. This is very real, and to rationalize it away is just stupid. It’s asking for disaster.

So what’s a girl (or guy) to do? First, I always recommend people give in to thinking about the worst case scenario. IF she does fall, what would she do? Build a workable plan around THAT FIRST. I’m not talking about a “Plan B” here. This is a contingency plan based on the worst possible scenario. Again – start here. Although you likely will never use this plan, and it may be extreme (you are dealing with worst case here), you create a workable plan. This plan allows you to see that IF the floors do give way and the walls do crumble in your situation, you will be just fine. Life on planet earth will not cease to exist, the sun will still come up in the morning, and more importantly – you will be just fine! I can’t stress this enough.

Starting your planning like this will do something AMAZING for you. It will take away that paralyzing fear. This planning is like weaving a net under our circus performing friend. It lets her know that if she falls, she will be just fine. It allows her to reach out and jump into empty space with all the energy and confidence she needs. For you, it will allow you to fight harder and reach further for that next ring - your BEST case scenario – or even one better. It will also allow you to create a strong and realistic “Plan B” and “Plan C” – you will be able to create workable contingency plans, NOT based on fear. Weaving your net first is the ONLY way to truly address and neutralize the real dangers, while giving you the confidence to reach higher and further.

So weave your net, jump off the platform, gain momentum, and grab the next ring!!

What We're All About

So you’ve fought the good fight. You’ve hung on as long as you could. You persevered through the hail storm that is the Great Recession as it mercilessly pelted you and your business. You’ve held onto the dream you once had – that your business could be great! But now, you find yourself looking down a black hole, with no options. Your dream is a shadow of what it once was, and all you can think about is the looming darkness creeping over your business and your life. “Am I going to make payroll this week? How many more days until the bank comes knocking at my door?” You know your business has value, you know it’s worth the fight, but you are tired, and nothing you have tried has brought the magical deliverance you had hoped for. You have become locked into the not-so-creative thought process driven by fear that sounds like this, “If we only had a little more money we could...”

Any workable solution seems so far out of reach. In addition to this, your spouse misses you and can’t understand why you never have time for a “simple” date night, and your kids just want to see you around and in a good mood for once – able to play with them like they are the only ones on your mind. But little do they know, no matter where you are, you can’t get your mind away from the nagging and increasingly more desperate thoughts surrounding your employees, your customers, your family your financial future, and the failure you are afraid to become. You don’t know what to do. You feel trapped. You decide you will FIGHT for it. You will put in more hours at the office, you will do more. You will work harder because SOMEHOW, you HAVE to find a way. That elusive answer is just out of your reach – it HAS to be…. It’s all up to you. Sink or swim baby.

I’m here to say, “It doesn’t have to be this way!” You are one of THOUSANDS of business owners in America, right now, thinking and feeling this same way. You are right – it is sink or swim. You are standing, feet planted at the edge of a CLIFF, holding onto a rope with your business dangling from the other end. You can’t hold on forever. You can’t pull it up by yourself. You realize that your business will crash and burn - IF you don’t have the right people – in the right places – at the right times. You realize that our business will crash and burn if you aren’t willing to let go of the reigns for a bit and realize that you are MAGNIFICANT at starting a business, but that you need someone with a different set of experiences, talents and abilities to come in right now. Your business isn’t starting up, it’s hanging onto the edge of that cliff – and you what you need now is a team of paragliding – base jumping – sky diving freaks of nature to come to the rescue and get your business off that cliff and into the ER.

Now realize my new friend, us freaks of nature want to help YOUR business off this cliff. Of course, we want a piece of the glory and a piece of the prize as well, but when you find yourself waking up to the reality of a bright and shiny refurbished and healthy organization, it will be worth every second and every penny. The best part is – we have no interest in an easy project that wouldn’t present a challenge worthy of our aerobatic talents, nor do we have an interest in an already crashed-in-a-heap-of-rubble-at-the-bottom-of-the-cavern project either. We make our bones on successes. We only accept and insert ourselves into projects where our unique talents and abilities will be the perfect fit, otherwise, we will help connect you with other Fearless Fliers who have the right abilities for your company’s needs right now. Who knows, you may need a bungee jumper instead.

So step away from the stress, the hopelessness, and the frustration. Tell yourself “It doesn’t have to be this way!” Take your wife to dinner, your kids to the park, and call in some Fearless Flyers who know what needs to be done and are equipped to maneuver your company to success.