Have you ever acted out of desperation?

I have.

It doesn’t usually end well.

I have a terrible tendency to look at unfavorable circumstances and try everything in my power to change them. Especially when business finances are acting funny. For me, this looks like reaching into my bag of skills and seeing what I can offer up as a service to make some quick cash. On the surface, that might not sound like such a bad thing because entrepreneurs are supposed to make money, right? But it’s what’s under the surface that matters. Money becomes my motivation in those moments. And money is not my master.

Recently, a client representing one of my larger contracts decided to scale back. Like, a lot. It was a big blow to my business’s gross revenue and, consequently, what I could pay myself. Thankfully, they are not my only client, and I’ve been trying hard to practice what I preached about having multiple streams of income and preparing for times like this. But despite all that wisdom I thought I had, I reacted to the decrease in revenue in desperation.

I started thinking about reaching out to people I’ve worked with in the past and offering consulting services. I thought about new services I could launch that would bring in some quick cash but not provide much value. And I thought about going back to my Adminiprise days and offering operations management retainers again. But then, in the midst of all my figuring out, planning, and brainstorming how to make more money, God told me to stop striving. Stop doing anything associated with a money motivation. Rest in Him, and remember that He is my provider.

Thankfully, my mental scrambling only lasted a few days (this time), and I didn’t make any major moves from a state of desperation. But I almost did. I was ready to deviate from my plan in order to make dollars. And that’s not ok. But instead of sitting in disappointment or guilt, I’m working now to sit still, be refreshed, rest, trust, and keep doing what I’ve been purposed to do in an intentional and consistent manner, not in reaction mode.

So, this is the point in my article where I’d typically share five things you should do to avoid acting out of desperation yourself. I’d drop some tips like in this post about detoxing your business or this one about streamlining your operations. Today, though, I only have one thing to share:

If your circumstances shift and cause you to wonder if you’re doing enough, if you’re doing the right thing, if this is really your calling…Don’t panic. Just pause. 

Don’t react. Just pause.

Don’t go backward. Just pause.

Don’t compromise your standards or your values. Just pause.

Don’t lose sight of the vision God gave you. Just pause.

Don’t sell yourself short, looking for a short-term fix with long-term implications. Just pause.

Don’t begin to question everything that God has placed inside of you. Just pause.

Pause, but don’t ever, ever quit.

When you find yourself reacting, take a beat to pause and remember who God is, what He said, and who you are in Him. Pausing allows enough time to pray, hear from God, and respond from a place of discernment instead of reacting from our emotions. And when He calms you down, clears your thinking, and reminds you of who’s really in control, then you can get back on purpose.