“Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.” ~ C. S. Lewis
Tempted to give up? Don’t. Think of all those that have failed or have fallen, but they kept pressing forward to reach their goals. The numbers are too many to count. Just take a look for yourself across the global and throughout history.
Know that you are not the only one that may be struggling to achieve building your dream business. Instead of quitting, focus on what to do next. Focus on the steps that will get you there. Then take the time to celebrate each achievement to keep your spirit up.
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of hearts. It is for those that dare to dream; those that live each day pressing forward, harder and smarter to achieve success.
I’m continuing my quest to press forward, harder and smarter. The reward I get each day that confirms that I’m on the right path far outshines the desire to give up!
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Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a speaker, an author, and a coach. Pick up the latest copy of her book:
There is a reality show on CNBC called “The Profit” that I occasionally watch. Marcus Lemonis, the star of the show, helps struggling small businesses to improve the profit of the businesses. Marcus invests his own money into the rejuvenation of them. In the last episode I watched, Marcus is trying to help a floral business get back its footing.
One of the issues Marcus identify was that the general manager (GM) was not performing the role of the GM to the level that was expected of her. He recommended that the GM be demoted.Marcus told her what her new role was and what was expected of her. She was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (P.I.P.). She was obviously hurt by the demotion as evident by her tears.
But what really impressed me was that she didn’t toss in the towel and quit. She stayed on and actually earned Marcus’ respect. She showed up each time with a positive attitude and did what was asked of her. In the end Marcus told her that he believed she should be the person in charge of the business at all times…even more so than the owner should be. The owner on the other hand was mostly negative throughout the episode.
As a manager, it was not pleasant for me to put an employee on a Performance Improvement Plan (P.I.P.). At this point of the decision, I found that the employee was performing his or her job way below expectation. In this case, I would work with the Human Resources representative to create a 30-60-90 day plan with measurable goals. Goals that were fair to the employee and the company.
Are you on a Performance Improvement Plan? Here is what you can do to Beat the P.I.P.
Understand what is required of you:
Review the Performance Improvement Plan with your manager to ensure you understand each goal and what is expected of you.
If there is something that is not clear to you, ask questions.
If the Human Resources representative is not present (in person, on video or on the phone) ask if you can have that person involved in the discussion.
Take it seriously:
Don’t take a P.I.P. lightly. If you want to keep the job, then seriously take stock of what you need to do to meet the goals. Create your own plan and start implementing the activities that would get you there.
Your feelings may be hurt, but this is an opportunity to show that you can rise above this low point. Put some sweat equity in. Action is what gets the job done…not sitting around and wishing things will work out.
Like the general manager in the opening story, don’t quit. Reach out to those that may be able to help you meet your goals…whether it is an existing client, a co-worker or a mentor. Be open and willing to do some of the things that they advice you to do.
Maintain Positive Attitude:
Be positive. I’ve seen so many people get put on a P.I.P. and immediately their attitudes become negative. This is not going to improve your manager’s opinion of you. It will validate that he or she is right about putting you on the P.I.P. in the first place.
Start your day off with something that inspires you to push through. I sometimes like to watch an inspirational video on YouTube or read a quick affirmation statement to get me in a great frame of mind.
Encourage others around you. The demoted general manager did not take her demotion as a defeat. Instead she maintained a positive attitude and started to encourage her peers and her direct reports. She provided positive feedback to them.
Being on a Performance Improvement Plan doesn’t mean that you cannot do the job. It simply means that you may need to make some adjustments that would move you to a higher level of performance. Just remember: understand what is required of you, take it seriously and maintain a positive attitude.
Remember the Diamond is within you on Timeless Tuesday!
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Driving to one of my business meetings, I encountered a detour sign that took me a different way than I was used to taking to my destination. It forced me to reroute. This caused me some anxiety about getting lost and whether I would be late to my meeting. Then I started to notice the beautiful homes along this new route. There were also stately trees that formed a natural canopy over the road. Lovely flowers and shrubs spanned the neatly manicured lawns.
By the time I knew it, I was back on the way no longer detoured. I was able to get to my destination on-time with a new aspect about my detour. Along our journey to fulfilling our Diamond Life Purpose, we will encounter detours. They may be self-imposed or due to external circumstances. Here is some thoughts for handling these detours:
1) Don’t immediately go into panic mode.
2) Pay attention to what is going on around you.
3) See if there is something you can learn or admire about these detours.
4) Remember these are only detours.
5) Don’t lose site of your final destination…living your purpose.
My take away from this particular detour is that:
1) I learned a new way to get to my destination.
2) I love the views along the way.
3) Life detours will happen, but how I react to them determines my experiences.
4) I won’t give up moving towards living my Diamond Life!
Reflect on some of your detours as you travel in the direction of Living your Life of Purpose on Invincible Monday. What stands out? What lessons did you learn? Did you meet people that you appreciate from these detours? We all have one final destination in this physical life. The attitudes and views we take along life’s highways and by-ways, whether by detours or adherence, will determine how we Live a Diamond Life. Choose to have an open mind. Embrace the good while letting the bad fall by the wayside.
Singing “Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long!” by Rascal Flatts, and smiling on Invincible Monday.
“The museum or hiking, which do you want to do today?” “ I don’t know. You pick.” “Hiking.” This was the conversation between my son and me this morning. I am visiting with him in California. He wants to ensure I’m having a great experience on my visit, so he has plan different activities for me. He doesn’t realize that I am quite happy just staying at his place. Nevertheless, I agreed to go hiking with him.
He drove us to Runyon Canyon. As he parked the car, I saw people coming down the trail sweaty and some were huffing and puffing. It was approximately 11:15 a.m. and the sun was blazing hot. Didn’t my son know his Jamaican mother was allergic to the sun! Not do damping the mood, I decided to make the best of our hike. I figured I have been running on the beach, running on the treadmill, swimming in the pool and riding my bike. How hard can this hike be? Was I in for it!
As we walked up the “hill” to me itseemed like a huge mountain. All my running, swimming and biking in South Florida was nothing compare to going up that hill in the hot sun! We passed other people coming and gong up the hill. Some with partners and some with dogs. One of the dogs looked just like how I felt…his tongue was hanging out and he was breathing heavily. I said: “I know how you feel!” As I passed him. Pausing a few times up, my son kept asking me if I wanted to turn back. I kept saying let’s see what’s around the corner. As we rounded one corner and I looked up I saw people walking ona level way above us. I asked him how they got up there. He said: “The trail leads that way.” At this I uttered: “Heck no! I’m not going up there. Are you crazy!”
I could tell he was concerned for me when he said we will turn back when we go to the garbage can at the end of the bend. But I didn’t want to disappoint him. Plus, I didn’t want him to think I’m a quitter. I sucked in my breath and said let’s keep going up. My son kept on encouraging me telling me that we are almost at the leveling part. I would stop to take a few pictures and then continued on. Really what I was doing was catching my breath and taking a rest.
When we got to the top I was delighted to see the beautiful view. We could see the famous Hollywood sign on one side and downtown Hollywood on the other. My son asked me: “Aren’t you glad you kept going? Don’t you have a feeling of accomplishment?” I had to agree with him. But l added that I thought he was trying to kill me at my young age!
This is a great lesson about our journey in life.if you want to see the best views, or reach your goals in life, you may have to climb some hills. It won’t always be easy; you may run out of steam. The pressure may seem unbearable. Don’t you quit! Keep climbing. Having someone in your corner to cheer you on, makes that climb easier. When you reach the top you have another person to celebrate your victory with you!
My friends Take A Hike towards your dreams. Live your Diamond Life. Live your Life of Purpose!
Looking out the window this morning, I saw large black clouds hovering over the landscape. They seemed pregnant with water waiting to burst raindrops upon us. At first, I was discouraged because I had my heart set on an early morning bike ride. This is part of my exercise regime to get my Diamond week off to a great start on Invincible Monday.
Then, I thought: “I’m not going to let some clouds ruin the pleasure of riding my bike and keeping healthy!” I grabbed my helmet and wheeled the bike outside. As I peddled the miles away, I felt the breeze mixed in with a few sprinkles. It was exhilarating. After a forty-minute ride, I headed home with a sense of accomplishment. The clouds didn’t pour out their content on me during the ride.
If I had allowed the first sight of the clouds to deter me from achieving one of my goals this morning, I wouldn’t experience that winning feeling I had from my ride. The lesson for today is to not let perceived obstacles keep you from reaching your goals. Forget the Clouds. Ride through, around or over them! Be determine to come out on the winning side!
Start your week off with an Inspirational Invincible Monday!
