The following is a guest post by Dr. Willie Jolley. Dr. Willie Jolley is the author of “Turn Setbacks Into Greenbacks: 7 Steps To Go From Financial Disaster to Financial Freedom
“.
There’s a great Lenny Kravitz song that says, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.” Nowhere is this truer than in the world of business and finance. Whether you’re an independent business owner, an executive or work for an hourly wage, it can be absolutely devastating when things go wrong and everything that you’ve been planning for goes off course.
You may be reminded of chicken little and begin thinking that the sky is falling and you just want to give up. If you find yourself in this mindset, the first thing you should do is take a deep breath and find your focus.
Most of the world’s greatest successes faced major obstacles and challenges, yet managed to bounce back. You can do the same thing if you are ready to adapt, take advantages of opportunities and never give up.
Turn Setbacks Into Greenbacks
When it comes to going from financial disaster to financial freedom, it all starts with these seven steps.
Stop commiserating
People who sit around and commiserate are the people who would rather complain about problems than do anything to fix them. In the real world, things sometimes do happen that shouldn’t or are unfair. The real question is: how do you deal with it?
We can complain about the dark or we can light a candle and be a light in a dark world. We can’t change the past, but we can definitely move forward towards something better. The choice is yours.
Don’t let your pride poison your prosperity
Any job that you’re not happy with should be considered a jumping off point from which you can move on to better things. In the meantime, the most important thing is to take care of business, even if you have to work a job that’s less than ideal.
Some people feel that some work is beneath them, and it would bring a stigma to them if people knew they were doing supposedly “demeaning” work, yet they are struggling to pay their bills. Stop trying to put up a facade of success and get real. Wearing that Armani suit won’t do you much good if you can’t pay your bills. Any work that is moral and legal is honorable.
Stop waiting for your ship to come in
Be on the lookout because opportunities are all around. Financial success is a choice that you must make, not a chance that you sit and wait around for. The most financially successful people have built their own ship. Ask people about business opportunities they may know of.
Don’t set yourself back by thinking jobs are out of your reach. Remember that even the most successful people face rejection. You need to press forward. Most opportunities will not come looking for you.
Don’t just look for a job. Make a job!
Being successful doesn’t always mean working for an existing corporation. Every great business had to start somewhere, and maybe the next one can start with you. Financial success is linked to thought, so get creative. Start thinking like the CEO of Y.O.U, Inc.
Whether you create your own product or fulfill a need of a larger company, start thinking about the niche that’s out there that you could fit perfectly in. Find a problem to solve for people and you’ll be in business for years to come.
Stretch your financial goals this year
Stretch way beyond what you think you are capable of earning, even if you don’t know how you’re going to make it happen. This puts you in the right frame of mind to make more money. It all starts with your mindset. You’ll never hit the home runs if you’re only trying to bunt over the runner on first. You reap what you sow, so the richer the ideas and goals, the greater the rewards.
Speak positivity into your finances
Even when things are not going well financially, you must speak positivity into your life because your language has a direct impact on your mindset and on the way life will respond to your situation. For instance, never say, “I am poor.” Instead, say, “I am wealthy; I do occasionally have some cash flow challenges, but they are always temporary.” What you speak is what you attract.
You haven’t tried everything
When faced with a challenging financial time, people will say, “I’ve tried everything.” When I ask them if they have tried this or that, typically they will say, “No, I never thought about that.” Grab a pen and paper and list all the ways you can make more money or get out of debt. After you have exhausted your own thinking, ask other people in your network. Trust me, you haven’t thought of everything.
No matter where you are at the moment, whether your financial journey is right on course or the train seems to have completely gone off the rails, this can be your first step to something better. Try to prepare for what you can foresee and move past what you can’t. Remember, it ain’t over ‘till it’s over because you can turn your setbacks into greenbacks.
Dr. Willie Jolley is author of Turn Setbacks into Greenbacks and has been dubbed “America’s Comeback Guru.” He is an award-winning speaker, international bestselling author, national media personality and host of The Willie Jolley Weekend Show on Sirius XM. Check out his website at williejolley.com.