Patience vs. Persistence
I recently read this on James Clears 3-2-1 newsletter, and it is the most powerful three lines I have read in weeks.
"The most useful form of patience is persistence.
Patience implies waiting for things to improve on their own.
Persistence implies keeping your head down and continuing to work when things take longer than you expect."
To follow this, our decisions can’t always be from a place of holding good cards, but sometimes it needs to be from playing a poor hand well.
There are two perspectives in the market right now...
Those that are frozen by the belief they don’t have the best cards in their hand
Those that are looking at the cards in their hands, putting a game plan together, adapting to the opportunity, and making it work.
I’m fortunate that when I flicked off the news, stayed away from the grocery stores, and had real conversations with my clients, peers, friends, and family members - most were being level headed and solution focussed in an uncertain time.
For the business owners in that cohort, they are powering through and adapting their marketing initiatives, and we have measures in place for them to maximise their opportunities and take an optimistic and proactive approach.
One thing I have always drawn on in my own life is that our perception creates our reality.
If we see opportunity; we will gravitate towards it.
If we see threat; we will recoil and avoid - only operating from a place of fight or flight.
When we realise it is our perception of the problem, that is always greater than the problem itself - we can take full responsibility for navigating the road ahead.
Now, I don’t want to be completely tone-deaf to the situation - in some industries and business structures there are very real implications that drastically affect the way they trade moving forward.
There is no disputing that.
However, I am a true believer in that this is a moment in time, and no matter how low everything goes, they will rebound in one form or another, and come out the other side stronger, and more resilient in the future.
If we look through history, so many great opportunities have been created in times such as this.
In fact, the businesses that continued to invest in marketing and adapt their offerings for new market needs during the GFC actually came out much stronger and created an even better position in the market than those that pulled back.
Those of us who market and sell need to keep marketing and selling.
We must control what we can control - focusing on delivering solutions, not just products and services.
We must practice empathy when listening to our client's needs and delivering a world-class experience in every interaction.
We must speak from our place of expertise, lead with compassion, and create confidence in those around us by educating and providing value without expectation
People want to lean into that more than ever.
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Let’s win the moments in front of us.
I think this is the time for businesses to band together, and I see it as my responsibility to step up and help and serve on an even bigger level.
Reach out if you have any questions, or want some insights on how you can adapt and thrive during this time.
Let's keep the lines of communication open, and we'll knock this out of the park
Zac