The Clifton Review 

The Clifton Review is a tri-weekly column that examines the question of the Clifton project along with the evolution of the war between two billionaires. We covered the start of this war with articles describing the battle over easement rights, the mysterious burning of a home, the blocks to rebuilding, and countless questionable court filings.

While the 2018 series salutes fashion mogul Peter Nygård’s Golden Jubilee detailing his rags to riches story, his incredible business success over these past fifty years and an inside look at how he did it, The Clifton Review will also continue to address current affairs as they relate to the good of The Bahamas.

When Giving Up Is Not an Option

By P.J. Malone

So you’ve decided to jump into the deep end and you are having a hard time staying above water. Guess what? You are not the first nor will you be the last to face challenges while trying to make your business a success. In other words, you are not alone. 

There is certainly not a business person out there who will tell you that they’ve never faced challenges in their business that made them doubt and question themselves as to why they are in business. It happens.

The thing to decide is what to do about it. Obviously, there are two options: quit, or keep going. There may be times in the life of a business where there is absolutely no other choice but to close it. 

Sometimes it is the most compelling option because it is not easy to deal with the weight of the challenges and the stress it causes. Each business person would need to decide that for themselves. The brave thing to do, but not the easiest thing to do, is to keep going.

We’ve talked a lot about fashion mogul Peter Nygard’s Finnish sisu spirit, and how it makes him persevere no matter the circumstances or difficulties, just like the Finnish soldiers who persevered against the odds and won several battles against Russian soldiers despite being vastly outnumbered; today, as a result, the Finns can say that they have never been subject to Soviet rule.

So what does it take to persevere against impossible odds? What made them able to fight to the end no matter what? What makes Peter Nygard, like his Finnish compatriots able to always persevere? 

It begins with the right mindset, which means making a mental shift.

That shift involves making a decision, a determination that no matter what, you are going to make it work. But first, give yourself a break. 

Know that having business challenges does not mean you are not capable of making it work. Even if you have made mistakes in your business, it doesn’t have to stand in the way of your success. Learn from it and move on.

Once you make a mental shift, it puts your thinking in solution mode. It sends a message to your brain that giving up is not an option and solutions are needed to forge ahead successfully.

We often hear the saying ‘once you set your mind to something, you can make it happen’. This, more often than not, is true. But first things first. Deal with the stress so it doesn’t get in the way of your ability to persevere. 

We can all use support in our lives: So, find a ‘success buddy’ that can help to cheer you on when you need it and consider starting an exercise program to release the stress that builds up regularly.

A major consideration for turning things around is to be prepared to take some risks. Here’s a reminder of what Carol Dweck explained in her book The New Psychology of Success:

One reason people who were thought to be ‘most likely to succeed’ don’t end up where they want is because they can sometimes be too fearful of “tarnishing their image”, and therefore become too fearful of venturing out of their comfort zone and taking risks.

Chances are you know what risks you may be avoiding. Are there thoughts popping up in your head of things you can try that you think are too risky? Take a second look at them. They may be risky, but maybe, just maybe, they would pay off. These ideas could be popping up for a reason.

It is important to listen to the messages and clues that come your way. Getting a gut feeling and acting on it is what Peter Nygard always did and still does, and look where it has landed him—not just in the millions but in the hundreds of millions category.

Remember, when a million Russian soldiers came after 250,000 Finnish soldiers with heavy tanks and artillery, the Finns didn’t cower in fear. Giving up was not an option. They dug in, and took amazing risks that paid off.

Bottom line? You too can prevail against the odds especially when giving up is not an option.