Crisis? What Crisis?

I keep hearing about the cost of living “crisis”. After all, that phrase has been repeated over and over in the media for weeks now. More worrying is the fact that many people I know have started to use the phrase in their conversations and posts, and that means they have bought into the idea that the economy is in crisis and are worried about it. Panicking, even.

Let me state for the record that I am well aware there are millions of people who are struggling to make ends meet, and they have real reasons to be scared and upset.??This article is aimed at business owners and professionals who are not on fixed salaries and have the freedom to create as much business and income as they can. But they may be feeling the pinch, or expecting to feel the pinch because everyone is talking about it.

Over the past few weeks, I have even found myself talking about and starting to worry about the supposed crisis instead of focusing on and proudly promoting my business and the fact that we deliver a fantastic service. That stops now. I decide what is a crisis and what is not.

Today, I walked through Borough Market in London and I was stunned to see the area packed with people, as busy as ever if not more so. People shopping, shopping, shopping. And spending, spending, spending. Just look at the photos above. For these folks, today was just a normal day out, well, it’s the lead up to the holidays, and these folks were not mired in worry about the economy, at least not for this afternoon.

There are always people who have the funds to buy what you offer. There is always a market. You may need to work a bit harder but you can find clients in any climate.

There were plenty of customers at Borough Market and the market stall holders were doing a good trade. I was so happy because most of those traders took a risk to start a small business, and they lay everything on the line every day to follow their dream. I started to think about all the business owners I know who rely on customers or clients. That’s all of us, by the way! We can’t afford to go down that rabbit hole of fear and panic. That’s when things really do start to spiral downwards. I know because I have done it several times in my career and it has never been a good business strategy.

So, what should we do instead?

1.?????Stop listening to or watching the news obsessively. Or at least, watch to learn about what is going on in the world but don’t let it take over your mood. But probably, don’t watch at all if it affects your mood too much.

2.?????Seek out optimistic, positive and solutions-focused friends and business colleagues. There are plenty of us! Write down a few names of people who always seem to land on their feet and spend some time soaking up their wisdom and positivity.

3.?????Get creative. Work with your coach or mentor if you have one and come up with lots of radical ideas for promotion, business growth and client attraction. Don’t settle for or stop at the obvious options or the strategies you have used in the past. Really push for the out-of-the-box ideas (at The Thoughtful Leader, we call this ‘pushing your thinking’)

4.?????Celebrate every single positive outcome. Yes, I know I’m always talking about this. That’s because we are not doing enough of this. There are good things happening every day but hardly anyone remembers to talk about them – including me! Take five or ten minutes a day and find something good to share about your work or business success. It will remind people how great you are and the process and feedback will make you feel great too.

5.?????Choose your words wisely and thoughfully. The next time you are tempted to talk about the cost of living “crisis”, or any other term bandied about by the fear-mongering media or any of your friends, ask yourself “Is it really a crisis?”

If you are in dire circumstances and seriously worried about losing your home, or feeding yourself and your family and keeping warm this winter, you have my heartfelt compassion and my prayers for your safety and wellbeing. Please seek and accept every kind of assistance available.

If on the other hand you are okay, and you believe you can choose your outlook and your outcomes, no matter what is going on in the economy or how it’s being reported on the news, let me give you a virtual ‘high five’ ! Let’s keep each other buoyed up, continue to support other hard-working business owners and professionals, and spread positive energy wherever we can. Thank you.

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