What to Do When You’re About to Give Up! How to Stay in the Game When Things Get Challenging in Your Business

  • Post last modified:April 13, 2023

Have you come close to throwing in the towel on your business? Ever have one of those days when you wonder “Why AM I doing this?” or thought “This is never going to work for me?”

As a coach to women in various network marketing and direct selling companies, my clients often have “one of those days…”, when nothing seems to be working and the future looks bleak. They’ve given their all and the only sane choice seems to be to give up. I tell them to absolutely hang in there.

Why? Because, as innocent as that little choice may seem… you have to realize that the moment you “give up” (yes, you may experience an immediate sense of relief) but you are also simultaneously changing the entire course of your life. You are having one of those “defining moments”… where what you decide, right now, is either going to ensure you create the income and life you want, or move you quickly away from it. Sink or swim. Rally or run – it’s your choice!

If you’re willing to stick it out, you can approach the challenges in your business like untapped goldmines, that guarantee your future success – if you know how to mine them! Instead of running, reflect. You can use these roadblocks to gain important insights into yourself, learn valuable lessons, and actually move closer to your goals.

Here are a few keys that have helped me and many of my clients navigate through tough and defining moments. I hope you find them just as helpful!

1. Don’t Take It Personally

Do you ever think if your business isn’t working there must be something wrong with YOU?

If you aren’t making enough money, if everyone seems to be saying “no”, or you haven’t had much success sponsoring business builders – don’t take it personally. Your current results are NOT an accurate reflection of your abilities, or the future results you’ll produce.

Sure, you probably need to develop more skills or gain some knowledge or experience, and the feedback you are getting is pointing the way. But these setbacks aren’t  an indication there is anything WRONG with you! You are NOT your business. You are not your bank account. You are not the “no” you heard twelve times this week. These external events have nothing to do with you or your real abilities.

Your potential is unlimited! Yes, you may need to move further through the learning curve to create more of the income or results you want, but keep in mind you are already a perfect human being, just as you are. There’s nothing wrong with you, just because you aren’t quite where you want to be in your business… yet!

2. Break Your Pattern and Get Re-Inspired!

When you’re on the edge of giving up one of the best things you can do is “break your pattern.” Meaning, do whatever you have to in order to get out of your emotional rut and feel better.

Albert Einstein had a powerful insight when he shared “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”. In other words, to be able to create something different in your business, you have to get out of your current way of thinking (and feeling!) so that you are freed up to create something different.

See a movie, visit a friend, read a good book, take a walk on the beach, or attend an inspiring workshop or service. Put yourself in a more resourceful frame of mind and your challenges will feel much easier to resolve.

3. Learn the Lesson Life Is Teaching You

I love the story of Thomas Edison and how he developed the electric light bulb. It took him over 11,000 attempts before he finally created a filament inside that worked.

What kept him inspired through all those “failures”? He used every one of them to discover something important about the process, and what he learned was so valuable, he was inspired to try again, and again.

When you’re struggling in your business and want to give up, ask yourself – what lesson is life trying to teach you? Where do your skills need improvement? What additional insight or knowledge do you need? What personal changes in YOU must occur to create what you want more easily? Embrace your challenges as feedback, not failure! There’s a magical gem of an idea or insight lurking there – just waiting for you to discover it.

Here are some key questions that can help:

  • What’s already working for you?

It’s important to pay attention to and celebrate the things you are doing that are working for you.

For example – are you making calls, getting out there to meet new people,  following through, being effective in certain areas?  What things do you want to keep doing because they ARE working?

  • What’s NOT working – yet?

This is key! If you can locate where you are getting stuck or what areas in your business aren’t flowing well, you’re closer than ever to a big breakthrough! 

For example – are people ‘interested’ in your biz, but not ready to join your team? Are you not making the sales you’d like to be – or spending too much time following up without much to show for it?

  • What do you sense you need to do/change, to move closer to the results you want?

For example – do you need to work on your presentations skills, get some help with closing, develop more ability in inviting or talking to people about the business, or gain more overall confidence?

Getting clear on what you need to do differently is absolutely essential for you to move forward and create a different result. Be totally honest with your own self assessment, and don’t take anything personally. You are discovering some important learning… and breakthrough opportunities!

  • Who can help you in these areas, or what can you do to become better here? What resources might be helpful?

Seek out the help you need, in the areas you need it, whether that’s help from your upline, sideline, or an outside training resource (book, seminar, coach, etc).

These 4 questions will help you evaluate what you are doing well, where you are getting stuck, and how you can get help and make changes in the key areas that are most important to your bottom line results. This kind of self-reflection is so important. It will keep you from “doing the same things, over and over again, expecting a different result”(which we all know is the definition of insanity, right)?

Often times, we won’t take a time out to evaluate what we are doing (or how it’s working) unless we are experiencing some significant challenges. This is why failure, pain, and disappointment can be your biggest allies, because they generally provide enough motivation for you to hit the pause button, and take a closer and more honest look at what you are doing well, and where you need some help.

Bookmark this article for those days you want to give up, or better yet, share it with your team so they can better handle any challenges that come their way. More than anything…stay the course! If you continue to use every challenge that comes your way as a chance to learn and grow… it’s not a matter of “if” you’ll succeed, just a matter of “when.”