What is the difference between a problem and an opportunity? It is not obvious? If your answer to that question is obviously the circumstances, think again. Have you ever heard or seen two people achieving different results, even though they started with the same circumstances?
For example, in the midst of an economic downturn, could it be said that all businesses could expect to be similarly affected? Well, what about those who prosper? What makes the difference? The difference is in how one responds to the circumstances. For example, a luxury car dealership did very well during the economic recession of the early 1990s. How? They brought their staff together and brainstormed and experimented with extraordinary answers to the problem at hand: No one was buying their luxury cars. The one that worked? They took the cars to the local country club and gave test drives. Sales skyrocketed.
How do you respond to problems? Are you creative? Or discouraged? Do you look on the bright side? Or see all the things you don’t want to see? Here are 4 keys to changing this in your own life, so that, as that luxury car dealership, you can thrive, even under challenging circumstances.
* “What if this was happening to me?”
The automatic response of most people to a negative circumstance is to feel that it is happening to them. It’s easy to become a victim and dive into it. What if, instead, you asked yourself, “What if this is happening to me?” How is this ultimately helping me? How is it for my greater good?
* “What opportunities open up for me that didn’t exist before?”
Sometimes when you lose what you were most afraid of losing, it can release a lot of energy. For example, if you were afraid to pursue your passion because it would mean quit your job and then lose it, well, it’s time to pursue that passion! Or if you no longer have the opportunity to do something that used to take up a lot of your time, what does it free up for? Or if a relationship ends, what makes that available? And how could you go out and create something even better?
* “What do I really want?”
Every complaint, every negative, is an indication that there is something you want that you don’t have. Nobody complains unless there is some other option that they think would be better. So if you’ve encountered a problem, use it as an indicator of what you want. Just turn around and change your focus. Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, you can even make a list of all the reasons you see it as a problem, and then for each one, write down one or more things that you can now see that you want. And once you know what you want, focus and make progress towards it!
* “If you knew there was no failure, what would you do next?”
Once you see how this is happening FOR you, and you’ve discovered the hidden opportunities and clarified what you want, it’s time to take action. Set some new goals, make plans, and get started. “But what if I fail?” you ask. After all, this all started with a problem. How can you take more risks? Easy. Recognize that there is no fault. The difference between success and failure is simply this: Achieving success comes from flexibility, creativity, and tenacity. Failure happens when people quit smoking. Look at Thomas Edison and how many failed attempts he made before he invented the light bulb. As he said, “I haven’t failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Think about this: Mattie Christianson was born with no arms beyond the elbows, no legs beyond the knees. Yet when he was 11 years old, he was the pitcher for his winning softball team. This wise young man said, “You have to give up all your excuses.” He just didn’t accept failure or limitations. If he can do that, what can you do?