“We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.” -- Mary Dunbar
What will it take to survive in this challenging world full of surprises? Is it an inner spirit that will not give up no matter what? Is it a mindset that says anything is possible instead of a no-can-do attitude? Judging from my own experience, I think its all the above. Besides a positive mental attitude, self-confidence, initiative and enthusiasm are all necessary ingredients to survive and live a happy peaceful life.
According to Dr. Benjamin Barber, when smart people fail they learn from their lesson.
He doesn't divide the world into categories. Instead he divides the world into learners and non-learners. If we learn from an experience, there can be no such thing as failure. It can teach us how to be human. It can inspire us to learn how to be compassionate and humble. For example, when we are really down, we can choose to stay down, grumble, and pity ourselves or choose to seek a helping hand with humility. We can also learn to pick ourselves up.
Research by Carole Hyatt & Linda Gottlieb indicated that sometimes when we fail, we learned a new attitude toward risk. We reorganize our priorities and become a little more cautious in our behavior. However, knowing and believing that we can survive failure, can lead to greatness. Failing motivates us to tap into our internal power, energy and resources. We gain a sense of power that leads directly to greatness. This is perhaps the most paradoxical lesson of all. That which seems to render us powerless can (if well understood and lessons properly learned) bestow on us a new sense of inner power that we can use to accomplish anything we focus our mind on.
Here is the story of Helen (name has been changed): when she was a teenager at the age of 15, she lost all her family members due to a terrible accident. After Helen recovered and was released from the hospital, she began to think unceasingly about what had just happened to her family. It was a very difficult time for her as she did not understand why such a thing could happen to her. The more she thought about it, the more she became depressed, angry and devastated. Then one day something happened, whereby a thought occurred to her that there must be a reason why she survived the accident. She eventually began to realize that she has been given a chance to live, and so she will make the most of it and become so successful that she could honour her lost parents and siblings. That change of mindset immediately changed her attitude toward life and motivated Helen to transmute all those negative feelings to positive cause and endeavours She has graduated from a university with honour, and she’s looking forward to becoming a successful lawyer in the future.
Whenever we feel a sense of loss, we have the power to use our mind. We have the power to figure out what went wrong and to correct it. We have the power to introspect, analyze, re-energize, to interpret what happened to us and put it in the most innovating scenario possible. We have options before us if we choose to see them. We can listen to our conscience and do what is right for our own highest good. Therefore, you have the power to change yourself and things around you. Learning to maintain a positive mental attitude, self-confidence, initiative and enthusiasm will definitely help you to survive any difficult situation.
“It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” — Chinese Proverb
“Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.” — Dr. Denis Waitley
If you have any question, need any help in achieving your goal(s), or working strategically to grow your business, then do not hesitate to follow/connect with me @ www.google.com/+EllAWilson, www.linkedin.com/in/ellawilson, or www.twitter.com/#!/Ell_Wilson
