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On Difficult Ground…

Sun Tzu says, “On difficult ground; press on.”

Everyone faces adversity. Another year is winding down; I’m sure I’m not the only one who might say from time to time, “Thank God that year is over: let’s get started on the new one!”

There are several ways people will approach the New Year. Some will say “so what, nothing ever changes.” Some will worry that next year will be even worse than last year. Some will resign themselves to lost chances and figure their time is past. Some will worry about losing anything or everything they may have gained over the last year.

Not me.

I’m going to be annoyingly optimistic. I’m going to take negatives and make them positives. Debts will be repaid and profits are waiting in abundance. I’m going to change some things next year; and strengthen some of the changes I made over the past year. I’m going to build on my successes. I’m going to take failures and make them additional successes.

How? I’m going to keep pressing on.

I must be stupid. Oil prices are going up, the world’s a mess, kids are out of control, there’s violence everywhere, we’re at war against foreign enemies and one another at home, politicians are idiots and it’s tougher to do business every year…

…So what else is new?

One of my favorite quotations is from Gene Krantz, the NASA Flight Director in charge of the Apollo 13 mission. After every expert in Mission Control had laid out the reasons the crew was doomed, Krantz looked them all in the eyes and said, “Failure is not an option!”

Failure is, however, an option. It’s up to me to eliminate it as an option. How am I so sure that I will be successful in 2008? I’m choosing that as my only option. I know I’m facing difficult ground in the New Year; I’ve spent the last year preparing for it. I know I’ll face difficult ground in 2009, I’ll spend the next year preparing for it.

There are always going to be conditions and circumstances beyond my control. What is fully within my control is to constantly improve myself, diligently prepare myself to receive new opportunities and to commit to the unwavering decision that on difficult ground, I will press on.

That’s what I’m putting in my plan for the New Year. What’s in yours?

If you haven’t already done it, download your FREE New Year REVOLUTION kit. This audio program and PDF workbook will guide you through the process of setting realistic and attainable goals for 2008!

Jim is the author of Dynamic Components of Personal Power.

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