Ever notice it isn’t until you are faced with a real humdinger of problem, that you have the opportunity to see how much you have learned?
Many of us read books on how to improve our businesses, delight our customers, sharpen our communication skills, and improve our attitudes, but we don’t always have the opportunity to demonstrate our new skills until a crisis hits. Pow!
The Chinese character for ‘crisis’ combines the glyphs ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity’, because every crisis has the potential for both.
And it’s really up to us what we choose.
If you focus on danger, guess what you will find? Right. Evidence of danger. In fact, you’ll pull it towards you.
If you focus on opportunity, guess what you’ll find. Right again.
Opportunities are all over the place.
Opportunities to show yourself how you changed, how you have acquired wisdom, how you’ve let go of old habits.
Opportunities to shine, opportunities to become a better human being, opportunities to make different choices than we made the last time a crisis arose.
It’s your focus that makes the difference.
If you look for opportunities to add value, you’ll notice them everywhere.
There are always chances to be a friend, a hero, a pal, a partner, a solution provider. In every encounter, there is an opportunity to build and strengthen relationships, that is, if you remember to look for them.
I used to have a favorite saying (I probably used way too much), “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
Use what life gives you and use it well. The word “opportunity” relates to many, many things – not just sales.
There’s a lot of crisis happening now, in lots of places. That could mean there is a lot of opportunity lurking too.
During your next crisis, stay awake, pay attention, and watch all the learning and experience you have racked up to pull you through.
Breathe and keep yourself calm so you have full access to your brain. What are the positive stories that come out of it?
Keep track of how you have changed, what you’ve learned, and share it with a friend. Let’s keep the learning moving. Share a story.
If you’re not getting better, you seek being good.
Embrace the day,
