Copyright 2011 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
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Have you ever heard anybody say, "Be of good courage"?
Good courage is the only kind of courage.
Have you ever heard about bad courage? There isn't any bad courage. Courage isn't a foolish lack of common sense, like taking a dare or like - "Hey, y'all watch this!"
Note: Beware if you ever hear anybody say, "Hey, y'all watch this!" If you hear that get away quickly because somebody is about to do something worse than plain stupid. I mean 'call 911, get a fire truck & ambulance here now' kind of stupid.
Rough times come too often already, don't let anybody inflict more on you.
Courage isn't necessarily an absence of fear. Courage means doing what should be done when it should be done & how it should be done.
When the going gets rough, going on is harder, but it's the only viable thing to do. As long as you're sure what you're doing is right in your current situation, you need to keep doing it.
You may've gotten further than you realize. Check behind you. You may notice your situation is turning out to be better than you thought.
You may see a point where you can go back & turn in another direction. Of course, you can't undo the mistake of not having turned before, but it's probably not too late to get some benefits you might otherwise miss.
Note: Suicide is NOT the only option. Suicide is a permanent end to temporary problems. Maybe you've never coped with what you're enduring now. Now is the time to cope. If you ever consider committing suicide, consider this: You can do it later. You can NEVER UNDO it later.
Bart Cleveland shared more of his wisdom with the advice in this post:
In Rough Times, Look Back and See How Far Your Agency Has Come
Is the Business Poised for the Future? If Yes, That's Reason to Be Upbeat
http://adage.com/article/small-agency-diary/rough-times-back-agency/231264/
The year is winding down. Typically, people look back and evaluate. With a languishing economy, a lot of planned spending was pushed off. A lot of projects were shelved. This could be something for a business to pine over, but that wouldn't be productive. I made a list to help me evaluate how we did. I suggest you do the same because it really helped me to see that through it all, my agency actually has matured and become better prepared for the future.
The rest is worth reading & is available at the URL above.
I posted a comment:
After a lot of effort, we may still be close to our starting point.
So what good was all the effort?
Did we have a bigger load than we realized?
Did we circle back toward where we started?
Are we (& hopefully our clients) in a better place (situation)?
I'm not suggesting creating excuses. Like Leo Burnett, we should reach for the stars. Even if we don't touch any, at least we won't end up with a fist full of mud.
When children learn to ride a bike, checking how far they've ridden can keep them encouraged. When they start, they may not go in a straight path. They're apt to be discouraged because they didn't get to where they wanted to go.
Don't say you can't do it! Look how far you've gone - over this bump & that little hole besides. Plus, you've stayed up & landed on your feet. You'll do even better when you learn to steer & stay on a sidewalk.
By helping them assess the distance they rode, we can keep them practicing so they will ride straight.
They may've meant to ride 10 yards in a straight line. But by the time they've stopped, including all the turns they've made (while regaining their balance), they've probably ridden about 15 yards, even without reaching their desired destination.
It's an achievement, especially if they ride over bumpy ground & grass but don't fall over. It's not an efficient way to ride, but it was effective.
If they had stayed on course, they would've gotten further.
Neighbors may not like the bike tire ruts in their lawns; hopefully they - like clients - will be patient as we improve our aims.
Unless we only use old, worn out "tried & true" "proven methods" that are still somewhat effective, we'll always need to test methods.
Our clients & we are in different circumstances than those who have tried & proven some methods. Is it logical to think our results will be just as good as somebody else's is?
In marketing no matter how much experience we have, testing isn't apt to go in a straight line. We need to follow success where we find it.
Like Christopher Columbus, we may not get to where we thought we were going, but we can still end up in a good place. His crew was glad to reach land - any land. On the Pinta, Nina & Santa Maria, they consider starting a mutiny.
A mutiny is understandable considering the fate of the Pinata crew. The Pinata sailed over the edge!
Sending out explorers was a way to boost a national economy. We need to explore to keep enriching our clients & ourselves.
Did we discover something worthwhile? If Yes, That's Reason to Be Upbeat. Let's not keep beating ourselves up. Maybe the world will forget our Pinatas, & forgive us too. Let's also forgive ourselves & move on.
Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.
Copyright 2011 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here-
https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/
http://www.voy.com/31049/
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