We all feel it. It’s a crazy time right now. And yet among all this chaos is an opportunity—it’s your time to step up. This is your moment to be a leader and help your business go to the next level. So I’m fired up to be able to share 3 principles that will help you do just that. If you apply these principles you can use any fear or chaos that you’re feeling to fuel your personal growth. Now, this is not like opportunistic stuff where you’re like taking advantage of others’ fears. This is stuff where you’re actually serving at a higher level. Are you with me? 

In the darkest days of World War II, Winston Churchill said to the people,  “To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to his talents.”

He also continued, “What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for that which would be his finest hour.” Source https://ammo.com/articles/winston-churchill-quotes So this time in history is your moment to step it up and go to the next level—even among all this chaos, fear, doubt, and the uncertainty that you’re feeling. 

Now in my career I’ve had the ups and downs, but I’ve also been able to build several different multimillion-dollar businesses. And I’m telling you that this is your chance to really go to the next level.

The first thing I want to share with you is this, you’ve got to step up. 

You have to shine brighter. The uninspired don’t inspire. So to inspire, you have to get inspired. You have to be doubling down on your personal development right now. You have to limit your time on the news. Limit your time on your newsfeed, limit the time that you’re listening to the naysayers right now. Commit yourself to go live more. Commit yourself to be more public. Commit yourself to communicate more with your teams. When times are tough, communication needs to increase, and I’m not talking about the volume of communication, but the quality of communication. So, again, right now is that time to really step it up.

Second, I encourage you to eliminate complaining.

The more negative you are, the easier it is for your default setting to just simply be negative. The more you complain, the easier it is to complain. The more you blame, the easier it is for you to blame. The more you whine, the easier it is for you to whine. Have you ever walked on a path on a hill or a mountain? It’s hard to walk on the hill, right? You’re up and down and there’s elevation, but as long as you’re on the well worn path, you’re fine. If you get off the path into the trees, or off into the weeds and bushes, it gets even more challenging. If you’ve ever had that experience, you know the path is kind of well-worn. The same thing literally happens in your brain. Your brain has well-worn grooves. There’s grooves built where you often complain, so it makes it easier to complain and it becomes your default setting. So what I want you to do right now is get focused on avoiding complaining, avoiding whining, avoiding blaming, and avoiding excuse making. 

And you say, “But this is tough times”. It is tough times, but my friend, tough times don’t last. Tough people last and you’re going to overcome this. Why? Because you’re going to step up and you’re going to focus on what you can control.

You have to say to yourself, “I’m going to stop. I’m going to eliminate complaining from my mouth.” You know what I’m saying? Now, I realize this is not how most people operate. Most people would rather whine, blame, and complain. But this is your time to turn obstacles into your finest hour. This. Is. Your. Time.

People are hurting right now. Focus on how you can add value and how you can serve versus blaming and complaining and living in fear. 

Lastly, adjust and adapt. 

We are the ultimate creatures of adaptation. Get better and improve.. Don’t wish it was easier. Wish you were better. You know what I’m saying? Adjust. You look at some of these great brands like Toys R Us—a hundred plus year old brand. What happened? Well, they didn’t adjust. They didn’t adapt. You look at brands like Blockbuster—a multibillion-dollar business. What happened? They didn’t adjust. They didn’t adapt. 

Humans are the ultimate adaptive creatures. This has happened before. Now, not necessarily this virus, but pandemics have happened before. Global crises have happened before. And guess what human beings do? They adjust and leaders emerge during those times. It becomes people’s finest hour. That’s the same for you. This is your time to like step it up and go to the next level in your career. I know that’s tough.

Let me tell you about one of the hardest times of my life that was a defining moment that created who I am now. I’m not trying to compare this to what you’re going through, but I remember a December 21st when my business had just failed. I was below zero financially. I was back on credit cards, back on taxes, and had just picked up two part-time jobs. I remember pulling up to the mall where I worked at a kiosk selling cartoon Bible movies. This was my job. I needed those weekly checks. I was literally week to week to week to week. I remember I got a call and I got fired on December 21st. Who fires you on December 21st? That’s 4 days before Christmas! I needed that check though so I actually asked if I could still go to work that day. 

I look back now, and I realize how bad that hurt. Oh, it stung. It scared the crap out of me. I had a young family. At the time I was stressed out. But the challenge became one of the times that I stepped up. I eliminated complaining and I adjusted. I adapted. I look back at that time now and I can see that it’s led me to my current career. Since that moment I have built four different multimillion-0dollar businesses and eventually did over a billion in sales.

I have confidence in you to do the same. Decide to make this your time to lead and don’t look back.