Being Committed In Business – Killing, Skinning and Eating A Rabbit

Being Committed In Business

Sorry about the harsh title and cute image, 
it's not meant to offend. 

Let me explain:

There comes a time in every man’s/woman’s life when he/she has to do things that he/she may never have wished to do.

Would you agree?

You are probably aware of such situations.  But, how far would you go ‘if’ you had to?

I watched a program yesterday where a couple were so fed up with the UK lifestyle and of working in their 9-5 jobs that they had decided to move to a remote and poor part of Hungary to live a more simple life.    The area was not my cup of tea, but each to their own!

The trouble was, they had to get used a new chapter with very little money, resources or awareness.  

Things came to a head very quickly when they were starting to get hungry in Hungary.  Sorry I couldn’t resist.

They had to make a decision about a cute little white rabbit they had, and whether to let it live and keep happily hopping around ‘OR’ to kill it, hang it upside down, and skin it before they cooked it.

In that moment they would have to decide it’s fate – as they only had £6 per day to live on, and the Rabbit was the only viable option in order to continue eating meat, which they both felt was an important part of their diet.

NOTE: I know that vegetarians and Rabbit lovers would disagree with this of course, but I am simply relaying the story! And I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to kill it personally.

So, what happened?

Unfortunately they went through with, and ate it. But they actually enjoyed it!

They were not violent people in any way (according to them), but they knew that necessity was calling upon them to make a decision.  It is very often these kinds of decisions which shape us and our destiny.  We all have to make different decisions every day and these will inevitably send us on a course of action which will bring certain results.  As obvious as that sounds, it is amazing how many people 1) don’t know what they want 2) keep making bad decisions 3) drift through life just getting by by default rather than by design. So- therefore it pays us all to look at the decisions we make every day of course.

And sometimes there are just those times when we have to make a choice which is quite stressful. 

Being Committed In Business – Killing, Skinning and Eating A Rabbit

So, there are those times when we just have to do things, as we have no other option, would you agree?

Of course, ‘what we do’ depends on many various factors, and on the situation – and I am sure there are others who would have made a very different decision.

The question is - How far would you go to eat?

Have you ever seen doomsday preppers on TV?   
Watch that if you want to see how far some folks in the USA have gone to protect themselves and their families from possible disaster.

And in light of a recent disaster with a global Pandemic which we are all facing and which we all know about, some believe that this could create levels of desperation not seen for many years, so there are many uncertainties, and unknown’s and thus behaviors change.  Some people will make erratic and knee jerk choices based in how they feel in any given moment. Others will plan the most sophisticated ways they know to to protect their entire future.

But, what does this have to do with commitment?

It means that we cannot plan for 
everything, nor can we guarantee
everything, but we can attempt to
control ourselves and maintain a focus
on what matters most. 


What would you do to survive? I mean really do?

And ‘if’ you have a business which you are deeply passionate about ‘how far would you go to save it’?

You see, many of us don’t have to make life or death survival decisions every day, we often just have to make general decisions, and because of that we get by.  We move through life and tend to fall into a particular course of action and behavior which suits us and stick to it.

Certainly here in the UK we get certain benefits, most of us have roofs over our heads and there is free healthcare, but of course there are thousands of homeless people still living on the streets, and on the edge of life for various personal reasons.  I see many of them in my home City, so I try to help where possible with warm clothing, food and money.  But, we cannot always help everyone if they cannot help themselves of course.

But it all starts with you and me.  You and me have to help ourselves the most in life – and if we fail to do so then we will probably find life tough. 

Now, coming back to this this couple for a moment, they risked it all, so they were in a vulnerable position.  It could have all gone wrong.

They decided that they preferred to live with some uncertainties and challenges every day – rather than have modern things and live a life to be predictable and conventional for them.

Being Committed In Business

I thought it took great courage for them to do so; but many wouldn’t because of that fear we spoke of.  

So, you see – we all have decisions to make each day, and each one will determine our outcomes!

Statistically, many of us often lack the courage to follow our dreams as we focus more on the inner phrase of ‘what if things go wrong’.  And rightly so in various situations, but I feel we must sometimes take risks in life in order to grow and to make it in achieving life and business goals.

So, what do we need the most?  We need commitment, we need to be committed through the thick and thin and through the good times and the bad, or we will probably fail.

Those who wants to risk the warmth, cosines and comfort of all the mod cons for a life of total risk as they did?  Not many, so many people stay where they are.

As we know – there are varying levels of risk, and some are way less concerning than others, and if we take calculated risks we stand a better chance at making something work.

But, we have often become so risk averse that we would rather stay safe where we are, but at what cost?

This is where we balance FEAR with PASSION.  Are we too fearful to change?  Or are we more passionate about change?

Its a bit like the comfort of being obese and enjoying chocolate versus hating yourself and going to the gym 4 times per week.  We all have to choose something.

This means for many people that they may be working their whole lives in jobs they often hate, spending most of their lives working for someone else making someone else wealthy and throwing away the most precious of commodities – TIME.   It’s a tough choice though as the appeal of constant income to afford those luxuries is a great draw, yet it can also feel like a prison sentence for some, as they feel stuck, frustrated and depressed.

Many believe they have no time for doing something they have passion for, so, what’s the real choice?

When it comes to necessity I believe that a job is the answer.  Yes I do, and many people are just not cut out for business, so it’s not for everyone.

But, one can build something whilst in a job. This is often the best course of action as there is security whilst the transition takes place.  And I would also say that one shouldn’t simply walk away from something which pays reliably ‘until’ there are sufficient funds, a strategy and a decent plan to back up the next chapter.

Thankfully my plan worked out, as I learned many lessons over many years, and whilst I had to change many things, I took my experience, education and growth and was able to apply it towards serving others who were just as passionate as me. Now I choose how I spend my time and what work I do, and I don’t have to answer to another, so with a lot of hard work, focus and determination it worked for me.  But it was not easy at all.

It comes again down to being committed enough to stay the course no matter what.

The question is – do we want easy or better?  ‘Easy’ can mean a sad life unfortunately as we do what is easy rather than what we dream of. On the other hand, some want an easy life or a simple life which I in fact also live by.  I have a very simple existence in that I am certain about what I need in my life and I negate the rest.   So, living easily or simply can be very appealing if achieved in the right ways, but – being stuck doing what is easy may mean a life of being stuck. 

There is a major difference.

Personally – I had a choice.  I could do the same thing all my life which was to get by and struggle to achieve anything, or I could do something else and follow my heart, so I decided to commit to my plan, and I worked on it day and night until I started to see eventual growth. I got the help I needed to make it happen, but, the trouble is – many people wouldn’t have done this.  How do i know?  I have met them – and some have been my clients as they have not followed through on what they could have done.

Most people, like 70-80% of the world’s population never achieve their goals, and they believe that they can only go through a certain amount of stress before they quit on something.

The cycle which these 70-80% of people create means that 1) They try something, 2) they then find it tough and quit, 3) they then try something else.

It becomes a continual cycle of initial hope, then struggle and finally failure – and eventually this destroys a person until they go back to what they once did.

But, if one can keep on moving through a struggle in one venture, and face the challenges and setbacks and find solutions to grow, then things can work with consistent specific application; and the probability is that (just like me) the experience and education gained from this helps a person to evolve and get better.  But, if we keep replaying the same starting point over and over again, we may never reach our goals.

Failures happen, and I enjoy them as I enjoy the process of getting better, plus I have had many failures in my earlier days, and I was that person who tried a million things.  But, it’s only when I focused on one thing properly, fully, effectively and consistently did I manage to start creating the significant rewards and growth.

Just like a meaningful relationship – we must be committed and stand by our word.

Through perseverance, practice, persistence, patience and of course pain, we start to see the light and we can arrive at a place where we can reap the rewards of the seeds we plant.   

Being Committed In Business

Being Committed In Business – Killing, Skinning and Eating A Rabbit

Moving through the tough times

So, looking at our friends in Hungary, they took a few risks, but did it pay off?

A year after they arrived there, they had their own livestock, vegetables and way of living which was sustaining them.  Yes, it was very tough, but they paid the price so they could do their thing; they stuck to the dream.

So, talking of business commitment, we need to be able to see through the struggles as there will be many, but the dream has to be more important in order for it to become a reality.

Let’s get out the violins 

Sure, I was once a college drop out, a drug taking 20 something, and I was from a dysfunctional background, but I won’t go on about it here, I just wanted to say that, back then I quit on life and I suffered and struggled, as I felt as though I was on my own.  But, I got through by having a focus and a plan and through continual education. I never stopped working on that vision and plan and here I am today.  I knew what my goals were and no matter how tough it got, I maintained a clear vision of those.

How did that happen?  COMMITTMENT!

I was so passionate about designing my life that I would do whatever it took. And I mean WHATEVER!  I happen to be passionate about others lives also, and in seeing their dreams come to fruition, and that’s why I created this blog.  My job is to serve others and I have forged a purpose from this, so I really know what is possible.

But, why do I really care about others?

I grew up (as I am sure many have) with poor father figures, and I lived in a poor but very loving family, where we had little money, and where fear drove us into limiting belief systems.  So, we got by every day but there was always a sense of struggle, and yet – my mother always remained happy and compassionate towards others.  Her attitude and sense of joy with life regardless of having very little was very moving for me.  In fact, it motivated me, and I set a goal to serve and support others.  This also enabled me to adopt a loving giving nature so that I could do something more to help others.  That is why I care!  And that’s why I do what I do – so I care about others who are as passionate as I am, and because I managed to turn my life around, I believe it is my duty to help others turn their lives around.

It ain’t that complicated for me!  

So, back to the dilemma; would you have killed, skinned and eaten that rabbit?

What’s your rabbit situation?

We (most of us) always have a choice.  We can live the same way we are living for the rest of our lives ‘or’ we take a risk for a better life should we choose to in order to live a life created by us and for us.   As I said – business isn’t ever easy, and we all need to earn something to get by so, my suggestion is to stick with what pays you now, but, put aside some time, and save some money to grow your thing and invest some into your dream and into your plan and goals.

That’s if you feel you really have that true passion to commit.

Every day we shape and sculpt our future so, ask yourself – ‘what do I really want to see in my future, and why?’

I have always said that ‘achieving ANY greatness is tough’ otherwise it wouldn’t be great, it would be average wouldn’t it?  So, decide to start a plan if you want greatness,  and  work on it every day.

You may already be a successful business owner now but you may be going through rough patch, so – I am sure that you know yourself what it is like to go through the ups and downs of business, and you have been there, but – you can also get through this with the right mindset, team and tools.  There are situations where we need to change, shift, tweak or test what we do in order to survive, and may even need to pivot at times.  We also need an exit strategy in place, which is essentially a contingency plan so we can liquidate our position in a financial asset or dispose of tangible business assets.

So, our decision can mean letting go of something else in order to move forward.

Couple that with always staying one step ahead of your game, and when making business changes, do so with a qualified and focused team ‘or at least’ with a sound business partner, in order to make the most informed decisions based on various perspectives and a wealth of experience.  

But here is a caveat

Sometimes we have to walk away, but when?

As you may know, in business anything can happen, and we need to also know when to walk and why.

Even the most savvy, super talented entrepreneurs can be plagued by poor luck and judgment – so just as life poses risks, business always will aswell.

With that said – how can we really tell if our business has a future?

To start with, it can be an important lesson to understand the difference between bad luck and bad judgment.  There are times in life when our misfortune can look like a big failure or mistake, and so people run away.  And this may just be a bit of bad luck or poor judgment, yet it has been the cause for a great deal of talented types to give in from their business prematurely.  So, we need to be able to spot the warning signs, be better judges and try to mitigate the risk where possible. But this comes largely from experience and education, yet it is not always obvious.

Bad luck is just that; ‘bad luck’, and we can all get it!  But poor judgment can be the fault of one person or several – and there are many reasons why something could fail, which might be due to a string of blunders or events.

Despite the setbacks most will face, and despite bad luck, we can overcome ‘even’ the signs of business failure, and we can move forward stronger and wiser.

I am a naturally positive thinker, but I am also realistic.  So even when something hasn’t worked for me I look at the components I can take from it and move on in order to take the lessons.  I expect challenges but I equally expect to win, so I have learned a great deal about the need for sheer bloody determination, deep ambition, truth and honesty.  It depends on what we are made of and what we can handle for the most part.

Often, it is in those early stages where we meet the most turbulence and challenges in discovering the true measure of what we are capable of – or not.

We all have different levels of stress which we are able to work with, so we really need to check on ourselves before we enter into anything to get clear on what we are actually capable of and if we can in fact be committed enough.

This is why many people are simply not cut out for certain levels of stress or business, whereas others are – and they can even thrive with it.

There is no doubt that taking your small business through that initial first year will be the most stressful and testing time, and it is commonly known as the greatest challenge to any entrepreneur, as we will all meet many business obstacles but, something I have learned is really to try to keep calm and carry on.  That doesn’t mean ignoring trouble or bury one’s head in the sand either by the way, it means keeping a level head and leading.

Do we REALLY know or not if our Small business will weather the storm?  And how can we ensure we can turn around a struggling venture?

Hopefully this 
might help
you:

How will you REALLY know if your business has a future?

No-one has a crystal ball, and we cannot guarantee anything in reality, but, when we can do our best and look at competition always, as we then have a far greater probability of making it.  If you are doubtful about the staying power of your own business, look around at what your competition does.

Ask yourself;

1) How come they are OK?

2) What might they be doing better?

3) What is the climate like?

4) Do you feel you could sell enough in your business?

5) What are all of your options here?

6) What might you be able to do or offer which perhaps others cannot offer?

You need to be able to trust yourself and your team to act in the right ways to get your share and hopefully beat competition.  We need to be competent and have clarity around our vision and strategy.  We need to have ethics, integrity and have a solid mission.  We need to do our research and get help from our team to assess the overall situation of our business model and the market we are in.  Sometimes (as I have found many times) a simple shift or two can make all the difference.

So ask yourself when seeking to get en edge over competition; 

1) How can I be more committed to my team?

2) How can I be more committed to my customers?

3) How can I be more committed to myself?

4) How can I be more committed to my mission and vision?

5) How can I be more committed to my products and services?

But even if we are able to do our best, how do we REALLY know if/when to let go if things just don’t work out?

It all depends upon your experience with this, and the experience of your collective team. But also the type of person you are.

Some business men and women try to never walk from a sinking ship, although there are just times when this has to happen.   But a great and competent leader will asses the situation with a close team and take on board all opinions before simply acting in a moment of despair or panic.  You have to be able to trust the right people who you hired in the first place as you hired them for their skills, passion and intelligence after all.  They are great in their respective roles, so they can bring another angle to you and to others in order to make those more informed and often stressful decisions.

We all need to be able to trust those close to us, and for them to be honest with us no matter how tough it may be.  This way you will know the direction you probably should head in.

Ask yourself:

1. What parts of my business are still salvageable, as a pivot or shift might be better than pulling the plug altogether?
2. How might I manage to reverse this by tweaking, changing, adding, letting go, or pivoting in whichever way is necessary to keep going?
3. What might be the obvious warning signs that there’s no way back?
4. What feedback am I getting and what am I learning from this?

Your competition may even be disappearing which may feel quite daunting, and this could be for various reasons, however, you and your team will need to be aware of ALL of the earliest warning signs of what may be going on.  Maybe you are simply doing better than others through extensive research and market knowledge, or perhaps they are missing something which you have?

This means that you need to look at what this is, and you need to look to your team as best as you can.  But you also need to look after your team; In times where you cannot pay them more, try to create incentives, greater working  conditions, and communicate through care to try to retain your team members ‘even’ when the going get’s tough.

IMPORTANT: Be very aware of the fact that you will need to account for some losses along the way if you have to introduce redundancies, pay cuts and longer hours. This can happen – but the idea is to try to avoid this in whatever way is necessary and having cash reserves has helped me in this area.  But of course – we cannot ensure all things always work out.  The key point here is that without the right team in the right roles – we will suffer.

I am sure we have all been subject to bad working conditions and we have all seen teams which are not treated right. There is a palpable atmosphere in this situation which creates a big stink and this then develops into losses.  This is where disasters happen and I have seen many businesses fail when they seemingly had it all going for them.

Be prepared for this, every eventuality and all worse cases scenarios – especially at the beginning few months in. 

Without doubt, you are far more likely to succeed after year one when understanding what I have just talked about and when putting things in place to mitigate disaster with the awareness of ‘what could go wrong’ being accounted for. Couple that with a solid shared vision and an ability to keep moving, and your chances are greater than that of your nearest competitor who has omitted to put these things in place.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE 10 COMMITMENTS FOR EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS BY ENTREPRENEUER.COM 

As always I wish you the very best

Greg

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Being Committed In Business

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GregDeTisi

Author and Small Business Blogger at Greg De Tisi Writing and Small Business Blogging

Author, course creator and business blogger - Greg has been supporting Small Business clients from all backgrounds all over the globe for over 15 years in developing ideas and passions into sustainable Small Business Models. Greg now has more of a focus on supporting his local business community in Bristol UK.