When you are looking to strengthen your business connections, it’s worth taking a moment to decide which ones are worth investing more effort into, and which may be ready to cut loose. Like your stock portfolio, it’s good to give yourself a reality check now and again.

I believe in potential and have sometimes hung on a little longer than proves useful, to give people a shot at showing me they’re as good I believe they can be. That’s okay, hope springs eternal. I’ll always be an optimist.

The key is, don’t keep throwing good money after bad. That’s just dumb.

You don’t have to skewer the individual, you just need to stop investing energy in a dream that’s going nowhere. Whether it’s a deal, a potential partnership, or landing the next big client, be ready to cool things off when they aren’t going where you need them to go.

And remember if it doesn’t work out as envisioned: it’s not personal. Repeat after me, “It’s not personal.”

Just think of it this way, you’ll have more energy to explore new opportunities.

Liz Gaige
Market Navigators Consulting

There’s a visionary that lives inside all of us. Some of us honour the visionary, others squander it. For those who live the life of the visionary, you know that it’s not always easy. For those who refuse to give it a voice, you know this can be just as hard. There are hopes and dreams that live within each and every one  of us, and whether you attempt to bring them to fruition or hide behind your fears, they never just ‘go away’. Whether you devote your life to living your dream, or put all your energy in to making excuses for why ‘it never worked out’ your life will always be consumed by your dreams. Dreams are what get you out of bed everyday. Dreams are what history is built on. Dreams are what change the world. But nothing happens until we take the first step. Nothing grows until we plant the first seed. Do your part in planting your seeds and together we will build a field of dreams.

All the best,

Heather White, CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.

I’ve heard this story shared many times in my travels and yet I still see people making this mistake all the time.  The story goes like this:

There is this very pious Jew named Goldberg who always dreamed of winning the lottery. Every Sabbath, he’d go to synagogue and pray: “God, I have been such a pious Jew all my life. What would be so bad if I won the lottery?” But the lottery would come and Goldberg wouldn’t win. Week after week, Goldberg would pray to win the lottery, but the lottery would come and Goldberg wouldn’t win. Finally, one Sabbath, Goldberg wails to the heavens and says: “God, I have been so pious for so long, what do I have to do to win the lottery?” 

And the heavens parted and the voice of God came down: “Goldberg, give me a chance! Buy a ticket!” 

Human beings, in general, spend a lot of time making excuses about why they don’t have the things they want in their life. We’ve heard them all:

I’m too old, I’m too young, I can’t afford it, I don’t have time, I’m too tired, It’s too ‘risky’

Or they spend time worrying about what might happen if they ‘go all in’ on whatever their aspiration might be and scare themselves out of even trying. (If I quit my job and start my dream business, it might go bankrupt and I’ll lose everything and so therefore, I’m not going to bother trying.)

Call me Pollyanna, but, I truly believe that if you have an authentic, natural desire to be, do or have something in your life – you have within you the energy, the knowledge, the power, and whatever else you need to make it so. No more excuses, no more worrying – decide what you want and take action to make it a reality.

You can’t ‘win’ if you don’t buy a ticket, so get in the game, give yourself a chance and let the rest unfold!

All the best,

Heather White, CEO, 2020 Communications Inc.

Going all in can be a scary concept. It’s a stretch for your comfort zone, as we discussed last week, it’s a stretch for your ego (anything outside of what you’re doing today is ‘dangerous’ as far as your ego’s concerned), it can be a stretch for your bank account in some cases and even personal relationships can be stretched as a result of going ‘all in’. That’s why your 100% commitment and passion is required, otherwise it’s not a big enough goal, dream or aspiration. If you aren’t ready to go full out, no matter what to accomplish whatever your ‘all in’ is,then don’t start in the first place. 

I remember my coach years ago saying to me “most people tiptoe through life, hoping to make it safely to death” – what a great statement, and it’s so true. Most adults are so stuck in their comfort zone, afraid to make a mistake, choosing caution at every opportunity that they safely end up at the end of their life. RRSP’s in tact, house paid off, 365 papers read/year, ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but, you get my point.

Human beings are driven by energy and energy comes from passion. Get clear on the things that excite you, don’t get talked out of going ‘all in’ by your ego or those in your life who can’t see your vision. Commit 100% with the knowledge that if you make a mistake, get hurt, lose money, whatever it is that you fear might happen, you can pick yourself right back up and keep on going.

Death is inevitable, but, how you live while you’re alive is YOUR choice. Are  you ready to go ‘all in’?

All the best,

Heather White, CEO 2020 Communications Inc.