This week’s question from our portal “Ask Us Anything” comes Sara.
I’m finding myself obsessing over numbers and pacing compared to last year. Our future bookings have gone from being 100% over last year, down to 50%, and now we’re about 11% over last year. But when I look at our first quarter results, we’re actually up 50%! Still, I can’t stop worrying about these future bookings.
With everything going on in the economy, I’m struggling to find the balance between taking action and allowing things to unfold. We’re already big action-takers – sometimes to the point where my team gets burned out.
How do I know when I’ve done enough and should just trust the process versus when I need to push harder? When do you stop putting more gasoline on the fire?
Here’s a fundamental truth about business that we often forget: people are always buying. Unless the dollar goes to zero, there will always be a market for valuable services. The key is understanding that worry literally cancels out your positive expectation.
Every time you choose worry over belief, you’re blocking the very success you’re working to create. Your job isn’t to stress about the numbers – it’s to maintain absolute belief in their improvement.
Just look at the evidence – you’re up 50% in the first quarter! That’s happening because of the positive energy and actions you put in place months ago. The market is always changing, and there will always be shifts in your buying audience.
But remember – someone is always buying. I just tried to rent a cabin in Wisconsin and could barely find anything because everything’s booked solid. Money is still flowing. The only time you need to take different action is when the data shows a fundamental shift in the market that requires a strategic change – like needing to market to a different audience. But being up 50%? That’s not the time for worry – that’s the time for doubling down on your belief that the future bookings are coming in now.
Say it every day with everything you’ve got in you. When you raise your belief to that level, you’re not just affecting your team’s energy – you’re actually communicating energetically with all those people out there thinking about making future bookings. Stay in that place of positive expectation and watch how the numbers respond.