By Terry L. Brock

All right! Enough already! We’ve heard it over and over about the tough times and how the economy is on a roller coaster. Is this a new era? Are we facing another Great Depression? What is going to happen to the credit and financial markets?

Well, I’d be happy to tell you what is going to happen but my crystal ball is broken. However, I can see what works with human nature and how people overcome challenges and we can learn from that and grow.

When times get tough — as they have and will again and again — they provide a wonderful opportunity to begin anew. As human beings we achieve more and become our very best when we overcome serious obstacles and challenges.

Don’t fear the hard times — embrace them. “Comfort does not produce greatness” is a wonderful Buddhist saying a friend of mine shared with me recently. Be honest with yourself and you might find a few times when you focused more on comfort than producing the greatness for yourself and for others. This is human nature.

You could sit in a bathtub of warm water all day. But it won’t make you strong. It will only give you wrinkles! Get out of that warm water, dry off, get dressed and get ready to charge into the real world. Face what is out there. Yes, there will be tough times. Yes, there will be some setbacks. Welcome to my planet. It works that way here. However, as you embrace the challenges, overcome obstacles and gain more skills you become a better person.

Jim Rohn said it very well when he said that you should strive to earn a million dollars. You don’t have to do it for what you can buy with the million dollars. You could choose to give it all away. However, make it a goal to earn the million dollars because of who you’ll become in the process. Do it for the skills you’ll master along the journey.

Tough times bring out the best — and worst — in people. Tough times have a way of cutting out the dross, the nonsense (and a few other color metaphors). Think of it like a ship tossed at sea. Cargo which doesn’t contribute to sustaining the ship is thrown overboard during violent storms. That which does not contribute to the sustenance of the ship is discarded as it has to be. Be proactive in eliminating the dross from your own business and life.

Take this opportunity to become more of the better person you want to be. Learn new skills. Study revenue-generating ideas in books, magazines, Blogs, podcasts, seminars and elsewhere. Study diligently how to improve critical, revenue-generating areas of your business operation.

Build new relationships and nurture existing, profitable relationships. Now is also a good time to eliminate those areas of your life that aren’t serving you. Now is an excellent time to examine your Relationship Marketing efforts. What is working? What is not? Tough times have a way of helping show who is really with you and who was merely saying nice things during the good times.

This would be a great time to meet with your team of top coaches, employees, consultants and other trusted advisors. Have frank and candid meetings with them to explain where you are, what is going on now and the opportunities for the future. The old WOTS analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities) strategy is perfect for this.

This is a particularly pungent time for us as a nation. We’re facing a major election. Politicians, as they are inclined by nature, see the solution as political. I see it differently. Whoever is elected and whichever party controls the reins of government, your success is ultimately up to you. The solution is not political. It is in personal achievement. Your success is up to you, not the politicians who are elected. You have to take matters into your own hands to get better, achieve your own goals and help others.

Focus on doing Relationship Marketing right. That is one of the best skills you can master. Find out ways to serve others and help them in this time of challenges. As you serve others and help them meet their needs, you’ll be able to meet your own needs.

Now is not the time to focus on comfort. Get out of that warm bathtub water, for crying out loud! Take decisive, results-oriented steps to build your Relationship Marketing. Become the better person that you really know you can be and want to be. Today is a perfect opportunity to do it.

When you succeed and achieve your goals you’ll become someone you can be proud of and then comfort will be even sweeter. Hey, you might even treat yourself to a warm bath — for a short time!

Terry Brock is an international marketing coach and columnist who helps businesses market more effectively, leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their days using time-honored rules and practical technology tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.