Dare to Live Without Limits Week of 11/30/2020

Circumstances may be beyond your control but not your response

Everything happens for a reason. However, when you are in the midst of adversity, it’s hard to see anything good coming from it. Although there are circumstances beyond your control, you have total control over your attitude and response.
While you are in the midst of dealing with an adverse situation, it’s difficult to comprehend that something positive can emerge. Having the belief that everything leads somewhere provides hope and encouragement.
When a door closes you need to move in a different direction. You may not immediately understand why something happened, but the reasons become clearer as you move forward. You’ll be able to identify new paths and gain a different perspective.
There are endless examples of how this process works. Let’s review two notable people who understood this and used it to realize incredible achievements. First, we’ll look at Lee Iacocca, the iconic automobile industry legend.
Lee Iacocca began working for the Ford Motor Company when he was 22. By the time he was 46 he was the President at Ford. He was instrumental in the design of many of Ford’s most successful models including the Ford Mustang. Due to internal conflicts, Iacocca was fired from Ford in 1970.
Iacocca was then hired by Chrysler as its President, where he oversaw the development of the minivan which helped lead Chrysler to great success. It would have been easy to become despondent after being ousted by Ford. But Iacocca used his firing as a springboard to incredible accomplishments at Chrysler.
Thomas Edison also had a lot of exposure to unfortunate circumstances. His teachers told his mother that he was too stupid to learn anything. He was fired from his first two jobs for being unproductive. It took Edison 10,000 attempts before he developed a commercially viable light bulb.
With each unsuccessful light bulb, Edison endeavored to determine the cause of the failure. He made some adjustment to each new bulb before testing it. Edison ultimately succeeded because he utilized adversity to move forward.
Like Iacocca, Edison never allowed negative circumstances to serve as a roadblock. Both men exemplify the fact that everything leads somewhere. These men never made excuses justifying failure. Instead they forged ahead, learning from their experiences.
Maintaining a positive mindset is essential. Having an upbeat attitude may be the last thing you feel like doing. A positive outlook is always more beneficial than a negative one. A negative attitude always makes you feel worse. With a positive perspective, each challenge will reveal new paths which are available to you and you’ll see new options appear.
You learn much more from challenging situations than when all goes as planned. Adversity is a force of innovation, discovery, and progress. Nothing new ever emerged from a perfect situation.
Effectively handling the unexpected helps you become more resilient. You benefit greatly from your ability to improvise, adapt, and adjust. Life is filled with challenges. Change is constant. By having a positive response to whatever is encountered, you give yourself a significant edge.
After dealing with a negative situation, you have a heightened appreciation for the positive aspects of your life. Fixating on problems causes you to lose your perspective by neglecting to appreciate all of the good.
Positive, upbeat, happy people have a deep-seated belief that all will work out. They maintain an attitude of gratitude by being thankful for all of their blessings. They don’t allow themselves to become consumed by problems.
Believe that everything does lead somewhere. Things happen for a reason. Maintaining a positive outlook enables you to find the correct path for you to take. Look for the new doors which are now open to you.

NOW AVAILABLE: "Dare to Live Without Limits," the book. Visit www.BryanGolden.com or your bookstore. Bryan is a management consultant, motivational speaker, author, and adjunct professor. E-mail Bryan at bryan@columnist.com or write him c/o this paper.  2020 Bryan Golden