Sometimes things don’t happen the way you want them to.  It happens to everyone at some time, yet it feels so horrible when things in your world don’t go according to plan. We are often so hard on ourselves when we can’t seem to get the results we hoped for.  So, how do you get over the hump and keep trying?  Be persistent.  Here are a few thoughts:

• Review your goals.  Take a deep look at your goals and assess them.  Are they still appropriate?  If they are, keep working on your plan.  If they have shifted, tweak them.  No need to completely scrap them and start over.  Just adjust them until they are just slightly out of reach.
• Review your action plan.  Now that you have confirmed your goals, take a minute to review the actionable steps you have identified to get there.  Are these steps still feasible? This is usually where the important changes often take place.  Make sure your steps are small enough to be attainable in short periods of time.
• Look around you.  You may feel like everyone else is wildly successful around you, but look more closely.  Everyone hits bumps in the road that slow down their progress. It is important to realize you are not alone.  Reach out to a colleague who may have a similar business to yours and talk about how they attain success. Also, ask them to talk with you about how they get through flat periods.
• Start fresh every day.  Talk yourself through the toughest times by starting each day with a new resolve to do your best.  Be sure you have scheduled your marketing time into your week and stick to it.  Taking your progress in small steps will help you see results over a period of time.

Everyone encounters periods of success and also times of decreased productivity.  It is important to be persistent, driving yourself through those down times so that you may see improvement.  Results do not usually appear quickly, but without persistent work, you will never see positive results.  Don’t give up… keep working hard, tracking your small successes along the way.