Your inner voice controls the way you view the world and live your life. Who is in control? Have you become a victim of life’s circumstances or instead do you own and shape your destiny? What does your inner voice say? Whatever it says, you are listening!
When life throws you a big snow ball…
The Seattle area recently experienced record snowfall that shut down roads and streets for a few days. It got so bad that the National Guard was mobilized to dig out the City of North Bend while the City of Snoqualmie declared a state of emergency and essentially told its residents, “stay home!” Area residents were informed in advance by the National Weather Service that a big snow storm was coming. These are the facts. How people chose to face adversity fell into two camps… Which camp would you have fallen into?
Are you unprepared, reactive and reliant on others?
Not having enough food to last a few days is a big deal when your kids are hungry. Not having a snow shovel or the willingness to clear your own driveway is a clear path to feeling trapped and relying on others to assist and save the day. These people were literally and figuratively stuck; and complained a lot on social media because “the City” didn’t come to their rescue. An inconvenience turned into an ordeal. Mindset matters!
Or prepared, proactive and self-reliant?
Buying plenty of food to last several days, having a snow shovel handy and a can-do attitude are three common attributes of people in this group. Those that were supposed to be at their job either figured out how to work from home or simply accepted the situation and chose to embrace an opportunity to spend time with family and have fun in the snow. Neighbors connected with each other, assisted when needed and often got together for impromptu parties. Life happens and Snomageddon was viewed as an unforeseen opportunity wrapped up in a blizzard. Snomageddon has come and gone. Life goes on…
How is the experience of Snomageddon analogous to running a business?
Running a business has its ups and downs. Well-run companies trend upwards but usually at some point in time come face-to-face with seems like an insurmountable challenge. The next time your company faces a huge challenge, will reactively watch your business crumble before your eyes?
What does Snomageddon look like at your company?
Losing large profitable customers, loss of a key employee, unexpectedly getting sued, loss of important data or even a fire/earthquake are examples of adversity. Will you be proactively prepared? If not, your competitors will be ready to take advantage…