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

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 given 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 copy—just get inspired). Finish what you’ve been procrastinating. Look for support, a mentor or a marketing coach. Don’t give up, success is right around the corner and most people give up JUST before they reach the top.
2. 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

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

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

When I was a traveling door to door salesman I had that poem memorized and repeated it to myself everyday. It’s a powerful affirmation. Well, that’s all for now.Make it a great day!

Kev

Hi there,

I gave my “bucket list” some thought (I’m still thinking) and even though it seems to be a perpetual list, I can put these down. Remember I still would like to see yours too!

But first:

I’ve finally jumped on the blog bandwagon! 🙂

To help you decide if I’m worth the read, here are a few autobiographical points of interest:

Let’s start with who is Kevin Lankford?

Son, Father of Four, Motivation Authority…  Professionally, I inspire for a living.  It’s my passion, life’s work, what I was born to do. My mission is to help more and more people achieve greatness with less and less effort. My message to the world is…To stand the test, never rest until your best is better and you’re bettering your best!

“Be a good example or a horrible warning!” (unknown)

Now for today’s tune-up:

As we embark upon this New Year, I encourage you to reclaim your dreams, and recapture that sense of excitement and certainty that makes a good life “grr-reat!”

It’s easier than you think.

I suggest a simple exercise inspired by a movie titled “The Bucket List.”

The film traces the adventures of two unlikely friends — a billionaire named Edward Cole (played by Jack Nicholson) and a working class mechanic named Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) — who share one thing in common: less than six months to live.

In one of their conversations, Carter (Freeman) brings up the notion of a “the bucket list,” a lifelong list of goals to be completed before “kicking the bucket.”

Feeling they have nothing to lose, the two flee the hospital for one final spree.

Critics are calling the movie “preposterous”…  Exactly what some people will say about your dreams.

This week, I invite you to create your own “Bucket List.”

Feel free to post yours as a comment.  Or, post it on your own blog with a trackback to mine.

I look forward to reading it. (Mine will be posted here in the next blog so watch this space)

Near the end of movie, Carter makes one last request of Edward that I also make of you:

“Find the joy in your life.”

Let’s make 2008, extraordinary!

-Kevin Lankford

Here’s a bonus because you have subscribed to….www.KevinLankford.org
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See ya soon!

Be Sharp…