"Don't Give Up. Let Go."

Life changed forever last March for me and my work. Workshops were cancelled. My business was virtually wiped out. 

Two friends advised me to stay visible through online articles and other means. That was good advice.  

I started delivering pro-bono online talks.

My most popular talk is “I am not creative.” I also delivered customized talks – “How to be a life-long learner”, “How to be productive in retirement”, “How to write an effective resume”.    “How to reduce costs by 50%” , "I Am Not Creative", "How To Bust Mental Blocks" and so on. 

But I was not happy. One day I called my dear friend Vijay Bhat, and we were exchanging notes. In the course of my conversation, I mentioned to Vijay “Enough is enough Vijay. I am planning to give it all up.”

Vijay with his classic wisdom said “Don’t Give Up. Let Go.”

He patiently explained the difference. Since then, “Letting Go” has become my mantra. 

I soon realized letting go is really an attitude and not an action. I have been on the ‘Let Go” mode for the last 3 months now. Initially it took me some time to decide what I should let go. My work? My writing? My friends? My hobbies? My favourite foods?

Slowly “Let Go” got into me like intel inside. I realized the “Let Go” is an attitude. It is not an action. “Let Go” defines the way I think and act. 

Not easy for a man from the direct marketing discipline. Result oriented thinking and work marked everything I did in direct marketing. Later when I moved to the ‘ideas, creativity and innovation’ consulting I helped clients to look for and get specific results from their innovation efforts.

I have been mulling over “Let Go” and I had a ‘eureka’ moment three days ago. And I am thrilled. It occurred to me that the secret is to “let go of my expectations”

So, I continue to do whatever I have been enjoying doing. Approach every assignment big or small with the same zeal and enthusiasm. Deliver my passionate best. My job ends there. I let go of my expectations of response, feedback, repeat work, referrals and so on. 

In fact, I should also let go of the habit of looking for responses to my LinkedIn articles. How many people responded. Who responded etc.

How has this affected my conversations with prospective clients?    

Today, if a client is discussing a paid assignment, he decides the fees. I simply accept it with cheerfulness and gratitude. If he says it would be pro bono, so be it. 

I did not realize how much this little step would impact my work and my life. The sense of freedom is incredible. 

“Aren’t you being too idealistic?” Prasna** had arrived. 

“Maybe. But so, what?” 

“Clients may not be comfortable having to decide what is a fair fee. You are passing the buck on to them. What if they don’t know what could be a fair fee? They may not be dealing with consultants like you and may genuinely need advice on pricing.”

“Fair question. I would share with them what other clients have paid me in the recent past. And then leave them to decide what is comfortable for them.”

“Have you done this recently?”

“Yes.”

“How is it working?”

“Clients are beginning to appreciate my approach. They like the openness in the approach.”

“Has anyone complained?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

“Client said that it is adding an unnecessary layer to his decision making.”

“What did you do?”

“I offered to share with him what other clients had paid me for similar work. That seemed to ease things a bit.”

“What will you do if a client takes advantage of this approach – asks for pro bono work when he could afford to pay?”

“I have thought about this. I know what to do if that happens.”

“What would you do?”

“I don’t wish to share that here. That will be my secret weapon.”

“When are you going public with it?”

“Today.”

“Good Luck. Let me know what happens.”

*Prasna is my Uninvited Coach. He is forthright and is on the side of the reader. He asks uncomfortable questions and is relentless. He has been with me for nearly 20 years.