Don't Give Up Too Easily (Clients Are Just Around the Corner)

Copyright (c) 2008 Fabienne Fredrickson

"Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about." Unknown

Have you ever given your all to something, experienced some delays, encountered disappointments, and then given up? What about when it comes to marketing your business? Do you sometimes get frustrated because the results you want aren't coming to you as quickly as you'd like, despite the fact that you bust your butt to see results? Do you then start to doubt yourself, your skills and talent, your ability to succeed?

You're not the only one. I know I've been there more than once since being self-employed. I have been tempted to quit on projects or promotions that weren't going strong on more than one occasion. And I've even contemplated giving up on self-employment when the chips were down and times were tough.

I remember being in my own practice less than a few years, and for a few weeks, things got really tough financially. It seemed like no one was signing up for my program all of a sudden, two (non-ideal) clients had decided to back out and money got really tight.

Was it a funk or was it a sign that I shouldn't be self-employed? I couldn't tell. I went into fear mode, wondering if I would have to go back to working in the corporate world, something I just couldn't bear to think about, but I just didn't see the alternative. I was THIS close to giving up and shutting down my business.

And then something happened. I was walking across Union Square in New York City, headphones on, listening to the radio and a song by Aaliyah came on the radio. The lyrics really spoke to me:

And if at first you don't succeed

Then dust yourself off and try again

You can dust it off and try again (Try again)

'Cause if at first you don't succeed

You can dust it off and try again

Dust yourself off and try again (Try again)

It was a good song and came at a good time.

When the song was over, I flipped to another channel on my Walkman. The SAME song came on. I listened to it and got chills up my spine. I thought, "OK, perhaps I shouldn't give up so easily. Maybe there is a way."

Not sure if you'll believe this, because I didn't at first. But I flipped to yet another channel. And yes, there it was. The song was playing again. The SAME song about not giving up, about dusting myself off and trying again. I got more than chills. My eyes welled up in tears and I stopped in my tracks. I stood there silently and made a commitment to myself: I was never going to give up. I was going to do what it took to succeed at this thing. And the rest is history...

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

1. Don't give up. If the going gets though, if marketing becomes a challenge or you're not seeing results, keep persisting. Try a different approach. Look at what successful people are doing and do something similar (don't copyjust get inspired). Finish what you've been procrastinating, just don't give up. Success is right around the corner and most people give up JUST before they reach the top.

2. Look for support, a mentor, or a marketing coach. Learn only from people who are already successful or have achieved what you want to achieve. Mentor with people who live the life you want to live. Join programs or mastermind groups with others going through their own processes, so you know you're not alone (Try my new Inner Circle: www.ClientAttractionInnerCircle.com.)

3. Print up the following quotes on persistence and stick them on the wall next to your computer, tape them on your bathroom mirror and your refrigerator, whatever it takes to read them over and over again, to give you the strength to keep going. I'm rooting for you and I know you can do it. :)

Quotes to keep you in Client Attraction Mode, even when things get tough:

"Never, never, never give up!" Winston Churchill

"Never Quit. Don't ever, ever quit. Recognize that stopping now, regrouping to try a new approach isn't quitting. If you quit you'll regret it forever." Rudy Ruettiger

"Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance." Samuel Johnson

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." William Feather

"Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries." James A. Michener

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." Dale Carnegie

"A champion is someone who gets up, even when he can't." Jack Dempsey

"It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up." Vince Lombardi

"Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity." Louis Pasteur

"If you are going through hell, keep going." Winston Churchill

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." Thomas Jefferson

"I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right." Albert Einstein

"When things go wrong as they sometimes will; When the road you're trudging seems all uphill; When the funds are low, and the debts are high And you want to smile, but have to sigh; When care is pressing you down a bit- Rest if you must, but do not quit. Success is failure turned inside out; The silver tint of the clouds of doubt; And you can never tell how close you are It may be near when it seems so far; So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit It's when things go wrong that you must not quit." Unknown