The BIGG Successs Show
Abandon Ship!
Signs that it's time for you to move on. Listen to the show & read the summary here.
Welcome to The Big Success Show. Today we'll talk about when it's time to abandon ship. The Big Success Show with George and Mary Lynn. Mary Lynn, you remember in the movie "Sentable Woman," Al Pacino's character says, "Now I have reached the crossroads in my life." I can't do Al Pacino, but- That wasn't bad, George. Well, the point is this. There are times when we need to change course. There's times when we have to shift direction, move on, or as we'll say today, there's times when we need to abandon ship. Now, wait a minute though, George. Yesterday we were talking about how persistence is the one thing you need to succeed. Now we're talking about winning. I know where you're going with this. People are going to abandon us with this kind of inconsistency. Did you hear that? Yeah, what was that? You've lost one already. Well, the thing is, most of the time, most of the time, you have to press on, and that's where you're going to find success. But you do have to be smart about it. You need to read the signs. And there are four signs, not here's your sign, but there are four signs, two external and two internal, that it is time to abandon ship. There it was again. We're losing them left and right. Let's start with the internal signs. The first one is this. It's affecting your health. You know, you're having anxiety attacks, feel constant stress, you're burned out, fatigued all the time. These are indications that it's time for a change. Oh, yesterday we talked about persisting, no matter what the obstacle. I hate to keep harping on you here, George. Yeah, I noticed that. I don't think there's any job that doesn't involve some stress and anxiety. So, how do I know when to persist and when to quit? Well, you're right, Marylin. And matter of fact, you know, we talked about overcoming obstacles yesterday. And obviously that's going to create stress, right? But here's the deal. And we all feel it. We're all anxious from time to time. The difference is this. Is it affecting your long-term health? Because nothing is worth that. You know, if what you're doing is affecting your long-term health, a band and ship. (water splashing) Ooh, I think that was a belly flop. (laughing) The second sign, I like to call this the BBB. Board beyond belief. (laughing) Every day feels like it's a week. You know, it's hard to get out of bed because you're really not looking forward to work. There's nothing to look forward to. You know what you'd like to do? You feel like you're stagnating, maybe even regressing. Well, you know, apparently in the first sign we talked about, it's all about your physical health. Here, we're really talking about your mental health. When you're bored to tears, or as you called it, when you're bored beyond belief, then it's time to abandon ship. (water splashing) I think that was a cannon ball right there. Yeah, that was a big splash. (laughing) Now let's look at external conditions. The third sign, there's no room for growth. Now this may be related to the second one here, but in this case, it's outside of you. This is beyond your control. It could be a company thing, salary thing. Or even the whole industry. You know, the point is this. When you've taken it as far as the circumstances will allow you to go. When there's no new challenges, no more opportunity on the horizon, it is time to abandon ship. (screaming) (water splashing) Man overboard. (laughing) I think he lost his trunk. Whoa. (laughing) Well, here's the fourth sign. The trends are bad. You know, here we're really talking about your industry. All industries are affected by change, but when change is affecting your industry in a bad way, ask yourself this question. Is it a trend or is it a fad? Fads are short-term, they're gonna come and go, but trends are those long-term things that you can't change. Yeah, and you know, Warren Buffett has a quote kind of about that, Mary Lynn. He says that when a management with a reputation for brilliance takes on an industry with a reputation for poor fundamentals, it's the reputation of the industry that will remain intact. Wow, so no matter how good you are, you can't buck the trends. That's exactly right. So if it's a fad, push on. But if it's a trend, abandon ship. (water splashing) But hold on, you don't have to just jump, coming up how to prepare your lifeboat before you abandon ship. Today we're talking about how to know if it's time to quit. And once you've decided it's time, start to prepare your lifeboat. The first thing to do is this, store up provisions. Find ways to save some money. Maybe you don't have that latte every day. Maybe you pack a lunch, find a way to just save a little bit of money every day to make sure that you and your family will be provided for. And don't forget your life jacket, your support network. Let them prop you up with encouragement. Maybe they'll give you some referrals or ideas. You don't have to broadcast what you're doing to the world, but talk to people who can help you. And remember your compass, it gives you direction. You know, where you're going. We've talked about this a lot on past shows. We've got links to it on our blog today at big success.com with two G's. - Oh, don't forget your oars. You can't just float out there. Take a class, get a part-time job, anything to help steer you to where you wanna go. - And you don't wanna be a big floater. - No, that you don't. - And finally, bring your flare gun. Get attention, market yourself, spruce up your resume, your cover letter, whatever you do, be creative. You can get a written summary of today's show at big success.com. Also links to some related posts. And have you been through this? Are you going through this? Share your experiences with us. And before we go, let's get our big quote for the day. - A quote today comes from George William Curtis who said this, "It is not the ship so much "as the skillful sailing that assures the prosperous voyage." - You are the captain of your own ship. Usually you will persist and stay the course. But occasionally, the best thing you can do is to find a new ship and start your journey anew. Bon voyage. - Whoa, that was a big one. - Excuse me. - Next time, you know, we've all heard of the concept of dining and dashing. - Yes. - Sure, you've never done that, Mary. - Heck no. - Next time, we're gonna talk about how to be dashing while dining. One of our newsletter subscribers sent in a question about how to woo investors over dinner. Until then, here's to your big success. - The big success show at B-I-G-G Success.com. (crowd cheering) (gentle music) (crowd cheering) [BLANK_AUDIO]