The Sky Is Falling
A friend and I sat in the depths of my man cave (aka Garage) last fall. At the time, we were watching a football playoff game when, between commercials, he said, “Wow, am I glad that’s over!” I thought he was referring to the game. But no, he was trying to goad me into a conversation on a topic I am known not to participate in: politics.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Just because I choose not to discuss my political views does not mean I’m not well-versed in the subject. But I thought, what the heck, I’ll take the bait. So, I asked him exactly what he was glad about was over. He said, “All of the election commercials on TV, that’s what. They got in the way of a good game. Everything said was so negative. Everyone was accusing everyone else of being jerks, criminals, and cheaters. Every other hour, there was another accusation and cover-up. Did you hear that people were eating their neighbors’ cats?” He finished the garage diatribe with, “I just don’t know what’s going to happen to our country or my business. I’m a little worried about how I will protect my family. Heck, I’m thinking about buying a gun. So, what do you think?”
The game we were trying to watch wasn’t very good anyway, and my buddy honestly needed some help. So, we talked about my take on his perception. My view was and is the same as it was in 2020. When COVID-19 hit, everyone thought it was a sign that the world was ending. If you choose to remember, the public reaction tied to the political cycle at the same time was nothing short of mass hysteria, fear, and uncertainty. And there was no hope in sight. All in all, we reacted then and now purely based on our perspective.
I am a Master Business Coach, and in 2020, 2021, and 2022, I can proudly say that 100% of my clients experienced growth. That is not a typo.
What did they do that was so different from their competition, who were locking their doors, sitting on the fence, listening to all of the doom-and-gloom perspectives, and, for many, closing their businesses?
The single coping strategy I held them to was the one I suggested to my neighbor during my garage sermon. Don’t allow your perceptions to become reality. I think it was Henry Ford who said, “If you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” Whatever you fervently believe in can become your reality if you allow it to. If you think that certain people are bad, they will be like the economy and the world. If you think you can control your quality of life, then you will. I challenged my clients and friends to ask themselves if they were dealing with an attitude of WHAT IF? or dealing with “WHAT IS! There’s a big difference in the results.
A WHAT IF? attitude has you constantly looking over your shoulder with the worry of something terrible that could, might, possibly, potentially happen. Yes, a meteorite could fall from the sky and kill me as I drive to the grocery store. Will it? The odds are slim, but it could happen, I suppose. Things that we cannot possibly control can happen. But should we allow the WHAT IFs of life to control and limit our potential?
Our success is the result of focusing on WHAT IS. We must strive to forget all the peripheral distractions and focus on everything we can control. We can control our attitude, our confidence, and our vision. We can dominate our chosen profession or industry while others are limited, afraid, and uncertain due to non-controllable WHAT IF perceptions.
I’ve mentioned this fact before, and I’ll keep writing about it because it’s true. In the worst economic times in our history, when many had given up hope, more millionaires were made than at any other time in history. While many had given up hope, the few saw opportunities.
If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or executive, you need to wear your suit of armor every day and focus on changing the world, or at least your world, by being the best you can be at everything you can control. Do this, and you’ll attract stronger relationships with like-minded people, and that, my friends, will set you apart in business and life.
When all your competitors, sitting on the fences trying to decide what to do, come to their senses, they’ll find you’ve dominated the market.
Don’t be blinded to your possibilities by worrying about the WHAT IF of life. Become an expert in focusing your energy and thoughts on the things you can control! It’s just too easy to be a lemming and jump off the cliff like everyone else. Change your perspective and look for opportunity in all you can control.