THE TIME TO QUIT

"When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes."

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) American inventor.

Let's be real; sometimes failure is the ultimate outcome.

Nothing wrong with that as long as it comes after too numerous attempts to count, certainly way, way after the first.

IT'S UP TO YOU

"Affliction comes to us, not to make us sad but sober; not to make us sorry but wise."

Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American politician.

I don't believe affliction comes to us to do any of that but I do think that is or often can be the result.

It's all about how we choose to deal with adversity. 

WE'LL FIND OUT

"Circumstances do not make the man, they reveal him."

James Allen (1864-1912) British-born American essayist.

It is very difficult, often impossible, to forever hide what we really are, particularly during adversity.

Once tested our true selves become known.

DIGGING DOWN DEEP

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant."

Horace (BC 65-8) Latin lyric poet

Your "silver lining" the next time you face difficult circumstances.

YOU WILL BREAK, JUST NOT ALWAYS

"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places."

Ernest Hemingway

20th century American writer

He didn't say everyone all the time will be stronger, himself living testimony to that fact.

However you can come out stronger as a result of adversity.

If you want to improve the chance of that being true for you, start by assuming it will be.

Neither Bad Nor Good

"Every moment of light and dark is a miracle."

Walt Whitman

19th century American poet

Yes, if you let them be so.

If you learn as much from the bad times as you enjoy the good.

No Time Like The Present!

"Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes; adversity not without many comforts and hopes."

Francis Bacon

16th century British statesman

We are ever so slowly emerging from extremely difficult economic times and with that comes a lot of cautious business people who say they are waiting for things to improve before once again spending to grow their business.

Waiting for what?

As Mr. Bacon says, there is bad in all good, and good in all bad.

Get on with it!

Give Up?

"If you're going through hell, keep going."

Winston Churchill

WWII British Prime Minister

I think we often do have a tendency to stop when things are not going as we hoped.

If we do to look for a better way, fine, but if we are stopping just to stop, no.

How do you handle adversity?

Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall Is A Good Thing

". . . a little tumult now and then is an agreeable quickener of sensation . . ."

Lord Byron

Late 18th century, early 19th century British poet

If everything in your business life today was as it was yesterday, why would you ever expect it to be different tomorrow?

In Business As In War

"A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies."

 Oscar Wilde

19th century Irish writer/poet

Never thought about "choosing" your enemies?

You often do by your actions, not theirs.

Choose wisely.

Perspective

"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."

Joshua J. Marine

Those who lost their homes in tonight's Southern California fires don't see these events as "challenging" or certainly "interesting"; only one word applies and that is devastating.

But nights like this puts our business challenges in perspective. What may have seemed too much to deal with no longer is and in that there is hope for us all.

Adversity: The Ultimate Leveler

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant."

Horace
1st Century BC Poet

Does adversity "elicit dormant talent"? That sounds like the talent just naturally, unstoppably bubbles to the surface. Does it or do we need to purposely identify and eliminate those who don't perform? What happens if we don't?

We are in difficult times. How is your management reacting? Doing nothing, blanket cuts or thoughtful reaction to what for all is the biggest challenge to management in our lifetimes?

In the past poor performers were often referred to as "empty suits". These days it appears we have some wearing nothing at all and they've got to go.