When Everything Is Uncertain, This Is Where to Start

Out of curiosity, when everything around you feels uncertain, what do you typically do?

Lately, I've been paying attention to the conversations happening in our industry. They're honest. They're painful. Many people are wondering how they're going to pay their bills. Others are doing well but feel uncomfortable saying so because they don't want to make someone else feel worse.

Then there are all the comments that follow.

"Me too."

"I feel this so much."

My heart hurts when I read those comments. Not because people are struggling. Because I've been there.

What concerns me is how quickly we can begin to believe that someone else's story has to become our own.

There are seasons in every career when the effort is there, the commitment hasn't changed, and the results simply aren't happening the way they once did. Those seasons are real. They can be frightening. They can also tempt us to spend more time talking about what's happening than deciding what we're going to do next.

Eight years ago, Gary's illness turned our lives upside down.

The first month alone, we had over $66,000 in medical expenses that insurance didn't cover. I couldn't work because Gary was partially paralyzed and needed full-time care. We had no income coming in, and the only way to survive was to put our expenses on credit cards.

There were plenty of sleepless nights.

There were moments when the situation felt impossible.

Looking back, I realize we didn't get through that season because we found one magical answer. We got through it because we decided what mattered most, then focused on one step at a time.

Eventually, as we worked our way back toward being debt-free, Gary told me he had one dream.

He wanted to get back to the lake. We had sold the lake house we had. Gary contracted acute neurological Lyme disease from a tick bite - at that lake house. Imagine my surprise when he told me of his dream.

That dream became our direction.

Not because it made the challenges disappear. It didn't.

It gave every decision a purpose.

When you know what matters most, it's easier to decide what deserves your attention today.

That's why I believe one of the greatest dangers during difficult seasons isn't uncertainty itself.

It's losing clarity.

When we're unclear about what matters most, everything starts to look equally important. We chase new strategies. We compare ourselves to everyone else. We begin reacting instead of deciding.

I've seen it happen in business.

I've experienced it in life.

And I've coached enough people to know that the ones who come through difficult seasons aren't always the ones with the best strategy.

They're often the ones who have the clearest reason for continuing.

One of the primary principles of Exactly What to Say® is that the worst time to think about what you're going to say is in the moment you're saying it.

I believe the same is true about the direction of your life and your business.

The worst time to decide what really matters is when fear is making the decisions for you.

If you're in one of those seasons right now, don't start by asking, "What's the next strategy I should try?"

Start with a different question.

What matters most to me?

What kind of business do you want to build?

What kind of life are you trying to create?

What future is worth taking the next step toward?

Once you've answered those questions, don't worry about solving everything at once.

Just take the next focused step.

Then tomorrow, take the next one.

That's what got Gary and me through one of the hardest seasons of our lives.

It's what I've watched successful professionals do over and over again.

And I believe it can help you too.

Because uncertainty doesn't have to decide your future.

You do.