“You ever feel like you’re standing in glue, goin’ no where, yeah man me too” – George Strait Stuck in the glue. Many of us find ourselves in some type of quagmire where we feel business and life to be routine. Undoubtedly a change is in order. Too much time in the muck pondering this necessary change leads to an almost romantic relationship with “the muck”. “Should I, shouldn’t I” ad nauseam.  Truth be told, we no longer want to even leave where we’re stuck and it’s easier to make excuses. The previous thought of change is no longer so necessary.

status quo = harder and harder to change

It’s easier to accommodate the mediocre and bland. Grumbling about life, grin and bearing it are easier than deciding that you ain’t taking this anymore. That’s where I found myself for the past almost 2 years but if I had dug down deeper, I should’ve seen the need for change coming.

In a digital ever-shrinking world, the person adverse to trying new avenues is the person against improvement. Status quo seems to be a myth, a polite way of saying “going backwards”.

In the above sentence, interchange “person” with “business” or “life in general” and it’s the same thing. Really if you think about it, there’s not that much distinction between ourselves, our work life and our life life. If we’re hesitant to change personally, chances are, we’re hesitant to change in other areas. Time moves super duper fast. I moved back to the USA from China in 2012 and the industry where I did put all my focus, has changed drastically. The way people source, their expectations, social media further shrinking the world, and on and on. So why all the pontificating on “change”, Jacob? Because we’ve gone and are going through major changes from a business standpoint.

Major changes professionally are synonymous with major changes personally.

I’ve worked for myself since 2003 and it’s difficult if not darn near impossible to parse the difference between professional and personal. It’s been hard to pinpoint the need for change. My nature wants to find “what works” leave it alone and then just watch happiness flood life. That’s not how any of this works, though. I found my business was stagnating. The bills were being paid, we were even saving some of that foldin’ kind of money, but longterm growth looked bleak.

We were at the mercy of others. Our successes depended on if the client decided to pull the trigger. Or if the clients’ client had the budget. And if the client decided not to source around us and save $500.00.

At the complete mercy of others; their decisions and whims. For me, that’s not living.

Don’t be at the mercy of any one thing or one person.

James Altucher teaches in his book “The Choose Yourself Guide to Wealth” how we shouldn’t be the mercy of any 1 source. I found this book while we were igniting our change of business mindset. Isn’t it funny how large milestones in life bring us to valuable teachers and material. Whether it’s 1 client, 1 stream of income or 1 method; don’t be beholden to a system where if all the pieces don’t exactly line up, well then, you’re screwed. Not being at the mercy of 1 body or 1 system requires great change if that’s the way you’ve always known. If something in your current model fails, you should be able to pivot.

The future is always at the door.

Questions to ask yourself:

  • Why am I going to be relevant in 1 or 2 or 5 years from now?
  • What happens if what I’m doing suddenly stops or I get fired?
  • I’m serving this great customer; what happens if they stop buying? Or go bankrupt and stop payment on their invoices?
  • Can another supplier undercut me?
  • Am I constantly innovating my offering?
  • How about learning something new? Digital, social and automation; how to incorporate into my business and life?

How about you? What questions have you asked self thus leading to change and thus leading to improvement.

Share your ideas on “change” in the comment section.