“Fight The Good Fight!”

(English translation)

     Now how did I know that? It’s the motto for Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, where I received my undergraduate degree. Why is it headlining tonight’s blog post? Because it’s a well-intended slogan that speaks of strength in life, but is fairly ridiculous when it’s interpreted as a call to business owner action.

     In fact, the American mindset of jam-it-down-their-throats competitiveness that rises from football fields nationwide is arguably the real root of all evil in business today. Waging war with the competition. Fighting the government. Beating up on your industry. Breaking down customer resistance. Smashing prior sales records. Kicking regulatory butts. Arguing tooth and nail.

     Are we really all that angry with what’s around us? Are we going to bed and waking up mad? Or is it all a big act? Are we covering up our true feelings? Are we blindsiding ourselves out of commission? What do all these upset-feeling words communicate? Is business really that big of a battle?

     YES. If you choose it to be. YES, if you choose to be too weak-willed to cut out your own path. YES, if you choose to think there’s no way to peaceably co-exist with other businesses. YES, if you choose to look around you and see only enemies. Everyone is NOT the enemy. Don’t choose that perception.

     You already know FDR’s famous “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” quote. We’ve even hear cartoon character Ziggy proclaim “We should enjoy here while we’re here because there’s no here there.” Yet we persist at being fearful. We invest ourselves in neurotic and paranoiac behaviors that require us to take argumentative stances in our daily dealings.

     How can you pull your spiraling business up out of this never-ending, bottomless hole of fear that things won’t work out, things won’t survive unless you do battle somewhere with something or someone, and conquer it, or her, or him, or they?

     Here’s how: You start by acknowledging that the bad choices are choices. You start by realizing it’s just as easy to choose receptivity and positiveness, and cooperation, and business alliances. It’s just as easy to join forces as to fight forces, in fact it’s easier.

     It is FEAR that’s threatening your business. And you are CHOOSING fear. Change the channel in your brain. Get rid of mental boxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts. Get rid of non-stop news reports. Just shut ’em down. It’s a choice. Why would you choose to torture and stress yourself?

     If any news event is major enough to warrant your attention, someone in your neighborhood will come knocking at your door to tell you. In the meantime, your news fixation is paralyzing you and your business. It’s locking your brain into negativity and preventing forward motion.

     QUIT THE NEWS FOR JUST ONE WEEK! The world will not end (and in case it does, you won’t have wasted time worrying about it) and you stand to gain/re-gain consciousness. Don’t “fight the good fight” unless you mean to choose self-worth and life’s values over evil and stress. Your business needs you. Your family needs you. You need your SELF.    

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Hal@Businessworks.US or 302.933.0116

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

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