…the first thing you do, is stop digging.
Don’t get in the way of your own progress. Your own behavior is actually the piece of the puzzle over which you have the most control, so take advantage of that. When faced with a problem, don’t rush to evaluate all the external factors. Look at what you’re doing and see you can do things differently that will create some space.
I’m reminded of a nice article by Joe Rominecki in Associations now that points out that associations are all stressing about their membership models and how best to provide value to members, yet they are also NOT actually spending time researching their market. Focus, people.