Think As Inc

CRAZY TIMES DEMAND CRAZY THINKING

August 18, 2009 on 3:32 pm | In life coaching | No Comments

When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one
individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command.
Very often, that individual is crazy – Dave Barry

That quote makes me laugh out loud.  The cynical me finds it funny to
think that the only person available to help in a hopeless situation is
hopeless themselves.  But I’ve started liking this quote even more
lately because of these times.  It is a bad job market, and I am a
career coach.  I work with people day in and day out to keep them
motivated on their job search or proactively managing their career
despite seemingly unmanageable circumstances.  When I remind people
that the real opportunity is in rocky times such as these, very
often, my clients look at me like I’m crazy.  I have become the
crazy person in Dave Barry’s quote.  But that’s okay with me because
crazy times demand crazy thinking.

 

You want to start a business in the middle of a recession?
Of course you can!
You want to change careers from accounting to media?
The best time is now!
You want to ask for a raise and promotion while your industry descends
into flames?  Let’s ask for even more!

 

These are all examples of what real clients are going through. And
while our conversations are much deeper than the short answer that I
share above, the context is similar.  Yes, you can make scary moves
in a scary economy if you are ready to commit and to do the work. It
would be nice to have been ready to go for it during a boom market,
but sometimes you are not.  And I would bet on the person who is 100%
committed to an audacious goal in the worst market than the person who
is unsure about a lesser goal in the best market.  Emotional
readiness trumps market conditions anytime.

 

I decided to finally leave corporate and pursue acting in the middle
of a personal crisis.  I bought my first house when I was unemployed.
I made a big financial commitment at the same time I launched a new
business.  These were some of the best decisions that I made, though
even now as I write them I feel like I am describing a crazy person.
Why would I choose to make these big decisions during inopportune
times?

 

Because emotional readiness trumps market conditions.  How you feel
internally will dictate your success more than any external condition.
When you’re so sure what you want that you’re willing to work at
whatever obstacles come after, then you are ready to go for it.  If
it seems crazy to the outside world but sound to you, then you are
onto something.  These are crazy times.  We may not have good
external conditions for awhile, and we can’t control when things will
get better.  So get to work on the internal conditions, and when
they’re right, go crazy.