Do You Have What It Takes?

Your ability to deal with the inevitable and unavoidable setbacks and crises of daily life largely determines your success or failure.

The fact is that problems never end. They come like the waves of the ocean. And if you’re living a busy life, you’ll have a crisis every two or three months.

The only question is, “How do you behave?”

Do you fall apart when things go wrong, or do you stay calm and take positive action to deal with the difficulty?

Do you lash out, blame others and become angry, or depressed, or do you accept responsibility, get the facts and focus on the solution? The choice is yours.

Top men and women are people who deal effectively with the never-ending series of problems and crises they face. They take a deep breath, diagnose the problem correctly, draw on their inner resources, and then take whatever steps are necessary to solve the problem and move forward.

Epictetus, the Greek philosopher said, “Circumstances do not make the man; they merely reveal him to himself.”

When you face your own Crunch Point, everyone is watching you to see how you handle it. Are you calm and constructive, or critical and complaining?

According to a long-term study by Stanford University, the most important quality of leadership is the ability to function well in a crisis. It is the quality of your “response-ability” that determines whether you get paid more and promoted faster.

Colin Powell said, “Leadership is the ability to solve problems.” Success is the ability to solve problems as well.

From now on, look upon every Crunch Point as an opportunity to learn and grow, to become stronger and better.

Look for the good in every situation or reversal. Seek the valuable lessons in every problem or difficulty.

Especially, think and talk about the solution, the future, and what can be done to minimize your losses and capitalize on your opportunities.

Refuse to waste a single minute worrying about past events that cannot be changed, or who might be to blame.

“When you turn toward the sunshine, the shadows fall behind you.” Remember, there is no such thing as failure, only feedback.

Your ability to bounce back and function effectively when you experience Crunch Point shows you how far you’ve come in life, and how far you still have to go.

Do you have what it takes? Of course you do! Get so busy solving your problems that you have no time to worry. It could change your life.