“It isn’t you…it’s me” Ahh, the words spoken that have broken a thousand hearts. I often related to breaking up in a personal situation… between couples. What I forgot was how hard breaking up is when it comes to business matters.
It started with an idea, a belief that was born during that presentation you sat through. You believed that this industry would benefit you. You believed that you could achieve your goals. You also believed your company would take you there. I know, I have felt the same way. Along the way, you know your comp plan rocks, your products save lives, you have an incredible team and you want to shout it from the mountain tops.
Then one day…. one fateful day, IT happens. That crack. You know the one I’m talking about. The crack in your belief. You heard something, learned something, something cracked your belief in either the company, your team or worse yet, in you. That crack, left unchecked will spider out until you no longer can see the road. You have to repair that crack before hitting anymore bumps in the road or it will be disastrous.
Sometimes the crack comes because you believe another company has a better opportunity, or you heard that your sponsor really wasn’t as honest as they should be…. maybe you learned there was an integrity issue with your company. It doesn’t really matter… that shaken belief left a pit in my stomach and my guess is you will be left nauseous as well.
So how do you fix it? First you need to identify what type of crack it is… if it is a belief issue in your company, go to the company, ask them about it, and see how their response feels. Confide in your upline, ask their advice and see if that is sufficient for you. If your belief has been cracked about your team or upline, go to an outside mentor and ask them for advice. The best advice I have received was from folks that didn’t earn a dime on me. If your belief is shaken because of another company looks better, then that becomes a true risk… because when you look at one opportunity, you will always measure it up against the one you are already in. If yours doesn’t hold up, you are on your way out the door. If your current business does measure up, it will strengthen your belief… but be warned, it is a gamble and you have to be prepared for it.
What happened next was turmoil for me because I have built a reputation as being loyal… I have hung in there when others quit. The thought of leaving or changing direction scared me. How could I even consider it? How could I turn into one of THOSE people? Ughhhhh.
Well, I went back to the simple exercise I learned a few years ago that puts everything into perspective for me. The circle test. It clarified and gave me the justification I needed to make the decision I knew I had to make…. and I’ll share that life changing exercise with you … first grab a pen and paper.
Next, draw a circle, about the size of an egg in the center of the paper. Inside the egg, write a word or two on the core reason you are building a home business. Think deep and hard. This has to summarize the true reason you are doing all this… for me it was one word. Family. All my sacrifice, all my struggles and my successes are for my family. So what is it for you?
Next draw an arrow from outside the egg, penetrating through and pointing inside the egg. Next to that arrow, draw one come from inside the egg, going out. (Like an in/out arrow)….
Look at this for a moment… here is the tough part I needed to hear….
Everything you do, every action you take… is either giving to your purpose (what you wrote inside your circle), or taking from your purpose. Every single action. The more you give, the bigger the circle becomes. The more you take, the smaller your circle becomes. It is 100% your responsibility how big or small your circle becomes.
Wow. That hit home for me and made my decision to leave easier. At the end of the day, I had to do what was in the best interest of my family. I had no choice. Now, I don’t like the feeling I’m disappointing anyone, including those I worked at corporate or my upline, but if I have a better opportunity to grow to fulfill my purpose, or if I cannot build my business because of a belief issue that is stopping my potential… then I needed to make a change.
If you are at a crossroads, try the above exercise. If you know you need to take action of change, then do it. If you feel you need to stick it through, do it. A crack small enough is still repairable.
Here are some closing quotes that I thought I would share…. these all came from my FaceBook page (come join me if you haven’t already)
“What some people call coincidence, it is really God at work.” -Donna Valdes
“There’s no reason to have a Plan B, because it distracts from Plan A”- Will “Da Man” Smith
“Leaders need courage to make decisions that affect a small amount of people negatively & a large number positively.” – Orrin Woodward
“For things to change, you have to change, and for things to get better you have to get better.” – Jim Rohn
Hope this helps…. because breaking up is hard to do.
Regards,
Donna
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