Adversity and Innovation

"You never know what will come from adversity!"

• Shirlene Remington
  

Adversity and Innovation

Have you ever been overwhelmed with the pace of change? Change is all around us. Technology is changing at an unprecedented pace. The economy has been going through great upheaval which in turn has resulted in personal upheaval. I was with my friends Dave and Shirlene Remington talking about such personal upheaval during a dinner engagement a couple of nights ago

I had met with my friend David Remington earlier during the week in his business. He's one of the most innovative people I know and during my visit I was impressed by the changes he'd made as well as his mastery and use of new technology. But, what impressed me more was what he said to me at dinner.

We were talking about the challenges we've faced over the past four years and the lessons we've learned as a result. That's when Shirlene said, "You never know what will come from adversity!"

She said that, because during our conversation we began to identify all of the positive changes that have occurred as a direct result of the adversity we had faced. That's when Dave said it! "Once you accept the situation and stop fighting the adversity you can move forward." This simple observation revealed invaluable lessons to me.

Some people will fight the change or adversity and when they do that they're stuck in the adversity. You've known people in this situation. They become stuck in the change! So, instead of becoming free from change, they're trapped in perplexing, perpetual change. I think we've all been in this situation at one time or another in our life. Dave's statement taught me that the only way to deal with change is to change oneself. What's interesting about this is that it's counter intuitive.

Change brings about adversity and we want to avoid adversity. It's our natural reaction. But, in this case fleeing from adversity only deepens the challenge and turns it into crisis. We can make our lives better only by embracing the adversity and looking for innovation; by submitting to the lesson to be learned, we can propel ourselves forward in a way that we never could have achieved without being faced with change.

In our society we admire innovators. They are the life blood of our advancement. If you want to have increased self esteem and feel the blood of life throbbing throughout your body follow Dave's advice. Accept the challenges you face. See them for what they are, an invitation to innovate and become more than you otherwise could become without them. Begin today and you'll find that you're more than you think you are and you'll do more than you ever thought possible.

Believe in Yourself

"I kept going because I believed in myself."

• John Knab
  

Believe in Yourself

My friend John Knab is a successful entrepreneur and kindly shares his knowledge and experience to help others. He was doing so not long ago and I had the chance to sit in the group and learn from him again. I've listened to John many times, but this time I sat more enthralled than at any other time I could remember.

"I received sixty-one rejections in a row." He said. "I had a wife and kids at home and my wife was starting to ask me if I shouldn't think of doing something else. But, I believed in myself so I kept going. I was on my way to Chicago to attend my sixty-second fund raising meeting and I knew that it was most likely my last chance. I was out of money and couldn't continue if I failed."

It I was the one on the plane going to that sixty-second meeting I would have been thinking, "What will I do if they reject me again?" But that's not what John was thinking. He was thinking, "I know I can do this. Investing in my company is a great opportunity!"

Perhaps this type of thinking and preparation is one important thing that differentiates John from most people. He's taken the time and effort to create a core competency that's given him a strong basis on which to create strong companies and an exceptional life. It's this preparation that has given him confidence and skill.

Some people would look at John and say, "He's just lucky!" I know different, he has skills!

John operates in a different way than most people. That's what makes him stand apart. The wonderful thing is that you and I can watch John, listen to him and then follow him to create our own success. So here are five other things I learned from John during our last meeting.

First, prepare a business or a lifestyle you truly believe in. If you don't have such a foundation, then you're living a fraudulent life and everyone will be able to sense it. I'm sure you can think of many examples of such people and you know that you've not wanted to be associated with them.

Second, make sure to make a commitment to yourself. My experience is that there are lots of people who are willing to tell you you're wrong, you're doing the wrong thing. But, you've done your homework and you know down to your very center that you're right. So stay committed to yourself and your dream.

Third, always tell the truth to yourself and to others. John said that during his sixty-second meeting the investors asked him how many other fund raising meetings he'd had. He told them the truth. They knew the truth and John became more credible to them when he was big enough to admit the truth.

Fourth, let your conviction speak for itself. When the Chicago investors asked John why he'd kept going he said, "Because I believe in myself and my company!" There was no doubt of his belief in their mind because they knew what he'd gone through. He had proved it to himself and to them by his actions.

Finally, enjoy the success you'll gain from believing in yourself! In this case, John was able to close a deal and fly home on a private jet. Now, I'm not saying that you're going to become a "jet setter" by simply believing in yourself, but I do know that you'll be more successful than you otherwise would be.

So, begin taking these steps now. They're steps everyone can take if they choose to. I hope you'll choose to! Prepare yourself, make a commitment to your core beliefs and desires, always tell the truth to yourself and to others, let your conviction speak to you. I'm going to begin making these steps my steps today. Will you join me?

The Future Belongs to Dreamers

"When you have dreams and can see hope in the future it makes your current situation, of walking through all the poo, bearable."

• Nelson Brill
  

The Future Belongs to Dreamers

"Sometimes we forget what it was like to be freshly graduated from high school." Nelson said to our friend Stacey.

Stacey is twenty-eight with five kids and a husband. We were talking with her because she was at the end of her rope. They have over seventy thousand dollars of college debt and they're making eighteen thousand dollars per year. To try to make ends meet they've moved in with Stacey's parents and she and her family are living in two bedrooms. She called us because she could see no hope.

I could feel her despair throughout my body because I remember having such feelings not more than three years ago. There's nothing worse than being crushed by a complete lack of hope!

"Sometimes you can't chop the wood because you're too deep in the forest." Nelson said to break the intensity. "You need to just pretend for a minute." Then he broke the imagining down into four steps for her.

First, remember what you felt like when you had just graduated from high school? Forget all the current circumstances. Remember hope!

Second, begin to allow your dreams to come rushing back to you. Let them fill your heart and allow the dreams rush over the top of your heart like lava from an erupting volcano. Then let the feelings stay warm in your chest as if the lava hardens to reside there and keep your dream warm and safe. Give your dreams the strength of rock.

Third, think about small steps you can take every day to make your dream become reality. Then take at least one little step daily. Keep your dream burning and radiating to affect your life!

Finally, keep your dream animated by staying focused on it. "When you have dreams and can see hope in the future it makes your current situation, of walking through all the poo, bearable." See the future as if it's today.

I sat mesmerized, as my mind transported me back in time to three years ago. I traced Nelson's steps over those years and then felt a deep gasp force itself through my gullet. He was right!

"Stacey." I said. "You can do this! I know you can. Those same steps have worked for me!"

If these steps can work for me, they will work for you as well. Make sure you take a little time each day to remember your dreams and then go to work to make them real. Let today be what it is. The future belongs to those of us who can still dream!

Improving Our Human Condition

"I was just looking for better Internet service."

• Chuck McCown
  

Improving Our Human Condition

My friend Chuck McCown is a good friend and neighbor. He is also a successful entrepreneur and I've long admired his work and accomplishments, so as I was talking with him the other day I asked him what led him to the creation of his companies.

"I was just looking better Internet service." Chuck said to me.

This simple answer caught me a little off guard at first. But its implication seemed to pierce deep into my mind and caused my thoughts to race. "This is entrepreneurship at its core!" I said to myself. It serves as the platform for so many life improving opportunities.

Most of us view entrepreneurship as the creation of a business or company. But, Chuck's statement reveals that it's really the search and implementation of all creative acts aimed at improving our human condition!

Since improving our human condition is the true purpose of entrepreneurship, the question one must ask is, "what can I do to make my life and the lives or others better?" Notice that the concept of doing something simply because it will make a "boat load" of money has no place in the entrepreneurship core. Making money may be a side effect of fulfilling a need, but it is only one of many possible rewards for such activity. The greatest results and the greatest companies are built around benefiting humanity.

Chuck's company is the perfect example of this concept. My family and I are the direct recipients of the services his company provides on a daily basis. Our lives have been improved, conveniences expanded, and our costs reduced. Perhaps most importantly, I'm able to spend more time with my family than I otherwise would be able to. And, it all happens within my own small community.

Other opportunities surround all of us each day. For example, perhaps there is some unused land in your neighborhood that the owner would allow you to use as a community garden. It takes an entrepreneur to organize a community to help put affordable food into the homes of neighbors.

Children in your neighborhood may also benefit from a community tutoring program. Perhaps you could use your academic experience to assist your neighbors to increase their literacy without cost. Such an activity may free up time and money for a family that needs to use all their resources for food and shelter.

The truth is that entrepreneurship provides all of us with food and shelter. We are a nation of entrepreneurs and now is the time to redouble our efforts to improve our communities and the lives of our neighbors. You can use your talents and passion in many ways. I know you can make a difference. Become more of an entrepreneur today. We're counting on you. You are the only one that can improve the human condition in your own unique way, where you are right now.