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“Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”— Winston Churchill
What do you do when due diligence doesn’t work? When all of your best efforts don’t result in the outcomes you desire?
I had a recent conversation with my niece, Brynna, who is about to graduate from grad school. Lately, she’s encountered numerous obstacles – car trouble, a stolen bike, laptop issues and a former landlord who won’t return her security deposit.
“Aunt Kathy, you need to write a blog post about this. Despite my best efforts, everything seems to be going wrong. I need to know how to be sure that my ‘due diligent efforts’ will work in the future.”
I believe that all of us have the same desire as Brynna. How can we ensure that our best efforts result in favorable outcomes whether in our personal lives or in business? The good news is there are things we can do to ensure more positive outcomes. The bad news is that obstacles, many of which we cannot control, are still a part of life.
Here are four approaches you can take to produce more positive outcomes:
1. Pray
I’m a person of faith so I believe God hears and answers our prayers. He’s like a parent. We may not always get the answer we want but we often get the answer we need.
2. Embrace reality
We live in a world where change occurs rapidly. Things break down, team members move on and relationships sometimes have natural endings. How we face the reality and make changes, can make or break both our bottom line and our spirit.
3. Do the hard work
Sometimes we know what to do, but we just don’t do it. One of my clients made the mistake of hiring a relative. Greg was a sales rep who would do less work each year. It got to the point where he was a drain on company resources and morale. It wasn’t until he caused a lot of disruption and pain in the organization that the owner finally fired him. Do the hard work first and you may save yourself a great deal of heartache.
4. Change your attitude
Difficult situations are going to come our way. As Brynna is learning, it is a part of life. The question is: How will we respond when we encounter these difficulties? Our attitudes will shape how we experience difficulties. If we approach them with a positive attitude, we will be more resilient and more likely to grow instead of succumbing to discouragement.
Share Your Thoughts: What has helped you during your more difficult times?
To learn more about making better decision , refer to last week’s blog post.
