Find Opportunities In Your Difficulties

Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” This quote reminds me of a story I heard about two shoe salesmen.They worked for different companies interested in expanding their business abroad. Both were sent to a third world country to assess the potential. The first guy landed safely, hopped off the plane and headed into town. He surveyed the area and talked to the natives. He was quite disturbed by what he saw. So he quickly called his boss and said, “Book me on the first flight out-a-here. We’ll never sell anything. No one here wears shoes. The second guy landed in the country the next day. He hopped off the plane, headed into town, surveyed the area and got to know the people. He was so excited by what he saw, he quickly called his boss and said,”Ship as many shoes here as soon as you can. We are going to make a killing! No one wears shoes!” Both guys saw the same set of circumstances. One saw potential. One saw a problem.rnOne decided to set himself up for success.The other used his words to set himself up for failure. This firmly proves the theory that it’s not what happens to us in life that matters. It’s how we respond. No matter what you are going through you still have a full tank of potential.rnIt’s called talent, your skill, your creative ability. But oftentimes tapping into our potential involves taking risks.rnIt means daring to buck the norm; following your passion when you are the only one who believes. It demands taking a leap of faith for your new business. It may call for you to go back to school to re-tool for that next promotion or new job. Potential will fuel your passion. And when you strategically follow your passion you set yourself uprnfor success.rnBut remember, Jean Claude Killy once said, “To win you have to risk loss.”rnAnd Fredrick Wilcox once said, “Progress always involves risk. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” So the question is, are you willing to step off first base? Are you willing to risk loss to win?rnIs your dream or your yearn for fulfillment and self-expression important enough for you to stretch? As the second salesman discovered, what you see may look difficult or even impossible.rnDon’t give into first impressions.rnSee challenges as “opportunities in work clothes.”rnThat’s how they usually show up.rnToday, start seeing the opportunities in your difficulties! And get to work!