Today is Memorial Day and the first unofficial day of summer, and while society is beginning to open up as we inch towards “normal,” things still aren’t quite right, and they likely won’t be for a while. As I have written previously, the past two months have been the longest year of my life – and I’m sure many of you have felt the same. Things we thought could never happen have indeed happened to the point where it feels like we are living in a movie. And this movie gets two thumbs down – WAY down.
Like you, I feel as if I’m perpetually standing at the crossroads, trying to figure out the best direction to move. I was planning on listing a bunch of either/or choices like “go to a restaurant because I have a severe case of cabin fever or eat in for another week to see if things feel safer,” but, honestly, I think you all get the point.
As spring gives way to summer, we will all find ourselves standing at many different crossroads. Often, neither of the paths at an intersection feels right, so we simply stand there, hoping that the conditions will change even when we know they won’t. It’s long been said that the only thing worse than a wrong decision is no decision, and I subscribe to that. I would much prefer to make a decision and fail than be paralyzed by indecision and be left to wonder.
Crossroads can be terrifying, exhausting, and just plain intimidating. However, avoiding taking a path at the junction might feel good in the short term, but it’s a terrible long term strategy as it accomplishes nothing. It’s scary to take an unknown path, but it’s far more frightening to stand in place, hoping that the surroundings and circumstances will magically improve.
As you stand at the crossroads of difficult decisions you will undoubtedly find yourself having to make, be brave and be decisive. As a wise man once told me, fortune always favors the bold, and there is nothing courageous about standing and hoping.
Bill is president of PromoCorner, a digital marketing, media, and advertising agency, and has over 20 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, and immediate past president of the Regional Association Council (RAC) board, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, and developing branding that resonates with a target audience. He can be reached at bill@promocorner.com.