Know when to push through, when to fold, and when to listen to outside feedback

This morning was the day for my thrice-weekly jog/walk.  I woke up with a headache which didn’t bode well for exercise, but I took an Advil, drank some coffee, and in a few hours felt good enough to try.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do a two-mile route this morning or a four-mile one.  About a mile from my home, I got to the point where I needed to make a decision.  If I turned around and went back home, it was a two mile walk, and if I made a left, it would be a four mile loop.

At the time I reached that point, I had just passed some large-sounding dogs with deep barks who warned me about coming past their house again!  I couldn’t see them but they sounded scary.  At the same time, both of my calves had knots in them and were really bothering me.  And I was feeling extremely tired.

So I had a decision to make.  Push through the aches and pains?  Listen to the outside advice (the dogs!)?  Or just turn around and go home?

This is such an analogy for my business.

As a REALTOR®, my success or failure all depends on me and on how passionate and determined I am about my business.  There are a lot of roadblocks that pop up in this business, on a daily basis.  There are constantly decisions to be made about whether to push through those roadblocks or just quit.  Should I continue a particular marketing tactic that doesn’t seem to be bringing in new clients?  Should I continue to work with a particular client who isn’t cooperating?  Should I continue in a career that takes a huge outlay of expense and a lot of time before any of the incoming revenue appears?  Should I volunteer to do up-time in my office and conduct open houses?  Is my desire big enough to motivate me to push through the impediments, or do I want to just fold?

And then there are the times in my business where I need to decide whether or not to listen to outside advice.  Do I listen when a co-worker tells me that something I think will work won’t work?  Does that person have my best interests in mind or are they trying to get rid of a competitor?  When I have a tough decision to make, do I listen to my own instincts, or to the input of those who may have more experience, or a combination of both?  I have to know when it’s the right time to listen to others and when it’s not.

So what have I decided about my business?

I love what I’m doing!  And because of that, I am determined to make this a business that works for me, so I choose to push through the roadblocks.  I choose NOT to fold.  I sometimes listen to outside advice and sometimes not, but I find the best way to know what will or won’t work is to try it.  I’m passionate about what I’m doing.  I’m here for the long haul and will just simply continue to push forward.

And what did I decide about my walk/jog?

No one would have blamed me had I decided not to push this 53 year old body through two extra miles this morning while dealing with a receding headache, sore calves, and limited energy.  But it wasn’t about whether anyone else blamed me; it was about whether I was going to blame myself.  And I just couldn’t fold; I wanted the exercise enough to work through the issues.  So I chose to listen to the outside advisors who were barking to let me know I should not go past their house again, and I made a left and went the full four miles.

And while I was out there doing the full route, my calves eventually started to feel better, I wrote two blogs in my head, and I planned the next three things I needed to do to energize my business.  Talk about making the right decision!

Do you know when to push through, fold and listen to outside sources?