4 Steps to Moving Forward in Tough Times

You don’t have to move mountains if you know how to climb one. 

Like many people, you may be feeling the effects of a tough time in our history.  It’s challenging to focus on goals and feel optimistic when there is so much uncertainty. And for many people, your career or business may look much different than it did 18 months ago.  

This is one of the biggest challenges we’ll collectively face in our lifetime.

But most of us have faced other times in our lives when a restart was required.  Whether it was because of a job loss, divorce, a new baby, illness, or a move across the country, we’ve had to start all over again.

Facing a restart is like being sent back down to the bottom of a mountain and being told to start climbing all over again. 

And a lot of times, the setback or restart has been out of our own control, which can be frustrating and even heartbreaking.

I’d like to share with you 4 KEY STEPS I have focused on that have helped me to restart at times when I’ve felt like I’m at the bottom of the mountain again. Because sometimes, when you break things down into manageable steps, it makes things easier and less overwhelming, while keeping our focus, despite all odds.

Step 1: Set Your Priorities

Take a moment and ask yourself what you want to be known for a year from now? Whatever that looks like to you, that’s where your priorities should go. There are many mountains that you can climb, but focus and prioritize the ONE that will take your business to greater heights instead of just tiring you out.

Step 2 – Map the Path You'll Take

To get to the top of the mountain, how will you get there? It’s not enough to just WANT to get to the summit. If you fail to plan then you plan to fail, as the old saying goes. For example how many new clients do you need to bring on, or how will you build your team to get you from point a to point b? Decide what steps you need to take in the next 12 months to get you there.

Step 3 - Create a Timeline

Now that you know where you’re headed, it’s time to reverse-engineer your goal. Work backwards from 12 months and figure out what has to happen each month and each week to get to those goals. For example, if you want to secure 4 new clients a month, and you have a 25% closing ratio, you need to meet with 16 people a month to hit your goal. That means 4 meetings a week. If you are worried about meeting that goal, ask yourself why - and set out to remove any roadblocks before you start on your path.

Step 4 - Track Your Activity

Just like tracking your steps, if you don’t have a way to measure them, how do you know how far you’ve come? If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it. When I was in sales I tracked first contact, next step, follow up, results. If I promised to follow up, I’d schedule that into my calendar. If you need to meet with 16 people per month to hit your goal, develop a system for keeping track of all of those meetings, plus correspondence and clients closed or lost so you know if you’re falling behind.

No matter how scattered, unfocused, and chaotic your world may feel right now, don’t give up on your goals. Even the smallest, consistent actions will keep you moving forward. So stay the course and you’ll be amazed by what you’ll do and what you’ll be known for this time next year.

I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a note and tell me, what’s helped to keep you on track over the last 18 months? Let’s keep moving forward, together.