Desperation can be an all-to-common theme for many of us in our home businesses. The trouble with desperation is that it not only causes us all sorts of stress and worry, but it also puts us in a weaker place when it comes to negotiations and decision-making. When we get into a place of desperation in our businesses, we can really start to feel the pressure to fix things immediately and that might not be the healthiest for our businesses (or ourselves) long term.
In order to understand how devastating desperation can be to our decision-making, think of how you operate when you are feeling just the opposite–when you are in a position of calmness and strength, you may feel like you have all the time in the world to make a decision or feel very patient when you are negotiating with someone. There is no intense sense of urgency and you may even be able to see very clearly all the sides of the situation. You might even be friendlier, warmer, and able to connect with other people better because you are not feeling stressed or desperate. When you are feeling the pinch of desperation, you might give off an aura of panic and you might have a hard time seeing anything but the most immediate, stressful picture.
I don’t know about you, but I seldom feel desperate in my work world, without feeling a great deal of pressure to do something about it NOW. Whether it has to do with money, time, problems, or something else–desperation and pressure go hand-in-hand. The only solution I have been able to discover is to take a step back and try to gain perspective. Getting away from the business problems if only for a half-hour walk can help to alleviate some of that pressure and help me to defuse that feeling and sense of desperation. Whatever I can do to get in a calmer, more level place helps me in running my business.