Last night I went to a presentation at the Syracuse Technology Garden for the Talking Business series, courtesy of the eNitiative project. The speaker for the event was Leslie Rose MacDonald, president of Pathfinders CTS, Inc, and a friend of mine.

I find these series of presentations somewhat uplifting when I have the opportunity to go. As an independent consultant, sometimes business is good, sometimes it's not as good, and sometimes you start feeling as though you're the only one who's ever had such problems. Of course you know better, but that's how you feel. That's why I run the business interview series on this blog, because I want people to feel inspired by those who have been able to fight through the down periods and end up being relatively successful.

And Leslie was just that spark of motivation needed last night. She's been in business 18 years, and she had people early on constantly telling her that she didn't have a chance to make her business successful. At the same time, she had other people who not only believed in her vision, but were ready to work with her because they believed in what she had to offer.

Over the course of 18 years, though mainly pretty good success, she also had some periods where, because of changes in her field, she had some times when life got tough, and she had to keep a belief in her dream to make it through. And, five years ago, she even decided to step away from the business and let her husband in charge, so she could take some time to think about where she wanted to do and just decompress. When she came back, she had decided on a direction of special services for women in business that has helped make her business even more successful than it was before.

Sometimes we all get down, and whether we work for ourselves, or with others, the job or the career takes a slide It's easy to get scared or upset and want to give it all up. Sometimes you just might have to totally go in a different direction. You can't think of ever giving up; you may modify and alter, but never give up. Giving up is a mental state; making changes might be a necessity. Be strong in your belief in yourself; never let that go for anything.