Once again I was asked to respond to a question posed by a reader of the Career Builder section of the Arizona Republic newspaper, in a column known as “Ask The Experts.” Following is the Q&A from that column.

Question:

I’m a retired firefighter planning to file for bankruptcy.   I have terrible credit, low income, and an intense desire to own my own business.   Are there any program options available to help me get back on my feet, go back to school for retraining or to fulfill my desire to run a business?

Answer:

The answer to all parts of your question is yes, but it will require some diligence and resourcefulness on your part.

As a starting point, I’d suggest that you set priorities based on what you need and want to occur. If you’re struggling financially, it makes sense to address that first. The City of Phoenix has a program called Phoenix Workforce Connection, which can link you to a myriad of career-related resources. You can find them at www.phoenix.gov under the “Employment” tab.

Regarding your desire to start a business, I’d recommend www.score.org to help you with the planning, financing and action steps to get a business going. Most of what they offer is free of charge.

Getting any new business financed is challenging, and more so if you have a bankruptcy. However, if your business idea is a better mousetrap, the financing just might beat a path to your door.

It isn’t “news” that certain aspects of the local and US economy are shifting, which is causing difficult times for many.

When we are challenged by difficult times, the most common reaction is FEAR, of either losing something we have, or not getting something that we want. 

At the same time, “difficulty” is relative. On the one hand you have the extreme experience of the Holocaust survivor, versus the dropped cell phone call. So it’s also a matter of individual experience and perspective.

What can we do?

1. Resist the herd mentality by ignoring the negative media frenzy, and trusting your own ability to discern fiction from reality.
2. Intellectually interpret your situation, don’t emotionally react to it. When you are flooded with feelings, move to that higher part of your brain and think objective thoughts.
3. Reach out and help somebody having a more difficult time than you. It will shift the focus away from your own problems.
4. Make a list of the things for which you are grateful and focus on those things, not on what you are afraid of losing or what you have lost.
5. Trust in the fact that this too shall pass, and that God did not bring you this far to drop you.

We all experience difficult times or challenging times in our businesses and in our life. But we can manage it with our attitude, our outlook and our expectations.

Depending on how you define success and a balanced life, you may include “community service” as part of your overall plan.

What I notice is - those who do include giving back in their definition of “success” seem to possess a greater sense of balance, inner peace and personal satisfaction, than those who don’t make giving back a goal or priority.

As with all of our business and personal goals, we need a set of criteria to establish what the goal will be. As such, I recommend that we answer the following questions when establishing our community service goals:

1. What cause, mission or issue am I passionate about?
2. What would I like to do about it?
3. How much resource can I commit to it? (time, money, influence, material, etc)
4. What do I want out of it? (satisfaction, joy, change, impact, etc)
5. How will I measure success?

When it comes to giving back, it’s easy to let judgment of the legitimacy of the need, or the people involved, cloud our willingness to help. But as a good friend of mine once told me, “All I need to know is that there IS a need.”

Even when things seem fairly “normal” in our business lives, it can still be challenging to stay focused on our goals and objectives. So in times like these when many in the real estate industry are experiencing change, the challenge is even greater.

When things aren’t going as planned, we can often react by muddling rather than managing our way through. And as we’re thinking or acting in this confused or aimless manner, our productivity falters, making matters even worse.

If you’re finding yourself bogged down in a puddle of muddle, here are some tips to get you back on track:

1. Get honest about your expectations. Confusion often comes from disappointment resulting from unmet expectations.
2. Revisit your goals. Adjust, clarify and recommit to them.
3. Rewrite your business plan. Just because it has changed, it doesn’t mean that you don’t need one. You still do.
4. Maintain a positive attitude. Remember – this too shall pass.
5. Communicate. If you’re a leader, let your people know what’s going on and where you’re headed. If you’re an  employee, communicate your needs and your willingness to do what it takes to adapt.

We all muddle a bit from time to time – that’s natural. But you don’t have to stay there. Take some time to shift your perspective, and get back to proactively managing your way to achieving your goals and objectives.

In these times of change and uncertainty in the market, lots of people may be asking themselves – “Why am I doing this?” “Why did I get into this business in the first place?”

My sense is that if you lack a clear purpose, or if you’ve simply forgotten what your purpose is in doing what you’ve set out to do, you’ll be asking this question a lot!

People who are clear about their purpose in life, rarely, if ever, get frustrated with “circumstances” because they are clear about why they are doing what they are doing.

People who have a clear purpose are more adept at dealing with change, unmet expectations and missed opportunity.

Although recognition and material accumulation are measures of success, real purpose goes beyond fame and fortune. I believe that purpose is about values. 

If you’re currently dissatisfied, disappointed or disgusted, it will help to think about your purpose.