“We don’t go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.”
John G. Blumberg

VA Tip: Sometimes it’s easy to let our values drop when a client wants us to do something for them that doesn’t quite align with our own values. Or perhaps we get swept away with hype that someone has been promoting and others have been jumping on the bandwagon.

Be careful not to cross this line. You need to be true to yourself and your business. If what you’re asked to do, is something you wouldn’t normally do for your own business, then you need to consider it carefully and take time if necessary, before responding.

Make sure you speak up and explain why, or simply decline the work. I’ve had to make a stand in the past and it has usually been the right decision, even though it meant losing work at the time. Over the long term you have to feel good about what you do and how or why. You don’t want to be lying awake at night wishing you didn’t…. or regretting because you made a decision that wasn’t wise. There can often be repercussions.

If you feel uncomfortable about something a client asks you to do, take the time to consider it and think first, before agreeing or carrying out an action.  Your client might actually thank you for your cautiousness and protecting their business as well as yours.