When Faced with a Choice – Choose You
What will you choose?
Have you ever faced a challenge where you had to make a decision between walking away or summoning the strength to get through one more day?
Back in 2001, I had to do just that. Thrust into the ownership of a fledgling business that I was desperately trying to keep afloat, I was hit with the news that our lease would not be renewed. It was about the last straw and I was out of ideas of how to jump another hurdle. On a suggestion from my very well-meaning mom, I had the option to shut down the business, head back to northern Vermont and make a fresh start after surviving a painful divorce. It would have been the easy way out.
As I assessed the prospect of starting over, I also reflected on where I was and what I had already accomplished. I calculated how long the road would be to get to this same point again. And that’s when I made the decision to keep moving forward – ONE.DAY.AT.A.TIME.
I look back now on that experience and I realize that what I chose was ME. I chose to find the confidence, determination and strength to get through one more day. And as I started each day after that, I reminded myself of that choice and that my goal was to get through each day, one at a time.
Now I know it sounds simple, but it wasn’t. The other piece to the puzzle was giving myself permission to ask for and accept help from others. I had to be willing to trust in the business relationships I had been nurturing. Long story short, I received a call from another business owner who had just purchased a building that had much more square footage than he could utilize. Was I interested in relocating to his building was the question he asked.
Had I made a decision to shut down the business thinking I would cut my losses, I would have missed this opportunity and I would not be where I am today. I would have started from scratch, and it might have taken years before I caught up to where I was the day I made that fateful decision. And I would have had regrets. Today that little, floundering machine shop is a successful solutions provider employing over 100 team members. We are housed in three buildings all of which we own (and in which we can help other small businesses who need temporary space while they grow).
Choices aren’t always easy, but you will make the right ones if you –
Choose to move forward by taking one step and one day at a time.
Choose to ask for help when you need it and to accept it when offered.
Choose you – choose your strength, determination and confidence. That will always be the right choice.
When faced with a choice in a difficult situation,… what will you choose?
Please, comment below.
