Have you ever been hiking or maybe driving in a car through hills and valleys and gotten to a point in the path where you can’t see the end, your destination? Maybe it is because you are at the low point in a valley and your destination is just beyond the next hill? When you get up the next hill you discover that there is another valley and yet another set of hills!
Life can sometimes feel like a never-ending series of valleys, hills and what is beyond. Same goes for Business, “when will this low end and things start to get better?”
There is a statistical theory called “Reversion to the Mean” that states:
“The greater the deviation of a random variate from its mean, the greater the probability that the next measured variate will deviate less far. In other words, an extreme event is likely to be followed by a less extreme event.”
Taken from
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/ReversiontotheMean.html
If you take the time to read the full explanation and have the patience for the Statistical Analysis you will reach an understanding that great leaps and bounds are possible, but just because you had a great one the next one probably won’t be as good. See the image below:
The sloped line is your overall growth while the red wiggly line is reality. That is what happens in your business – you grow over time, but some days are better than others. The key is to make sure the line with the arrow is going upwards and is not flat or pointing down.
The key to success in these situations is consistency. You have to keep doing what you are doing the best that you can. That is why so many inspirational/motivational speakers will tell you that the key to your success in habit and ritual and not so much inspiration. Inspiration can get defeated by the lows, the valleys.
If you have ever driven from Palm Springs to Las Vegas – highly recommended drive – you will experience the effect of entering a deep dessert valley. The vastness of the dessert is awe inspiring! Thing is, you are in a car with Air Conditioning. Imagine what it was like for the first settlers with their horses and wagons? The awe was undoubtedly there, but so was the feeling of dread that comes from not seeing or knowing where the end was and how they would survive.
Every business and/or career goes through this, the moment when you see the valley and think, “How will I ever get across this!” Well, just keep going, just keep to the routine. Don’t let the ups and downs give you false hope or dread. Success is just beyond the next hill, but success is not a destination, it is a journey and a discipline, so once you get to it you can stay for a moment and then it will be time to move on….
Gramatges Consulting 