These are tough times for all of us, especially in small business. Many of us are facing cutbacks, causing us to look with consternation at 2012 and ask what happened? We’ve had to let people go, tug in our belts, look at our shrinking lead sheets for clues to what’s next. We’ve called in the cavalry and the cavalry is out to pasture. This is a time for many of us to reinvent ourselves to respond to the times.
My friend Jill, who is a master of reinvention, is in the middle of reinventing herself again at 64. An artist, successful potter, Arabian horse breeder, specialty food salesperson and international food expert, Jill has taken on so many ventures that it boggles the mind. What is unique about Jill is her indomitable spirit. She shifts with the times, and doesn’t waste a moment complaining about what was. She deals with what is and what’s coming. “These days it’s all about the Internet,” this feisty grandmother emphasizes. “I spend a lot of time watching the best blogging sites, what people are watching and reading, what intrigues them. I notice what people are most drawn to, and why.” That’s her education. This highly creative, constantly evolving grandmother of two, horsewoman, writer and foodie is about to jump into a new Internet venture. She is feeding herself a daily diet of information, ideas, inspiration and wow-isms from the Net so that when she starts her own new company she is inspired by the best that’s already out there.
What are you feeding yourself when times get tough? Do you crawl in your cave and engage in a pity party? Do you get with the same friends and talk about how times were better “back then?” Do you worry yourself sick with cyclical thoughts that have doomsday endings? This is bad food for thought. It’s time to seek out new healthy sources of WordFood- people and idea sources that can infuse you and your business with a makeover, a new direction, perhaps a different market, a way to reinvent yourself for the new world we live in. How are you feeding yourself every day? If my friend Jill can reinvent herself for tough times at 64 with verve and energy and enthusiasm, then we all can. Tough times call for a new diet- WordFood of a different sort.
Think carefully about what you say to yourself in the mirror every day, and then what you choose to partake of from others. Feed yourself with healthy information all day long and then see what begins to grow in you. It’s how we come through tough times that matters most. Choose your diet of WordFood wisely.
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- Julia Hubbel Julia’s ability to get this group of type-A executives to engage in true networking was incredible. She is truly skilled at motivating the group to engage and interact with each other, and her openness and honesty really come through.
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