PROBLEMS CAN BE OPPORTUNITIES IN DISGUISE BY DENIS WAITLEY

Problems Can Be Opportunities in Disguise

One of the most desirable attitudes of a leader is an ability to view problems as opportunities and setbacks as temporary inconveniences. This positive attitude also welcomes change as friendly and is not upset by surprises, even negative ones. How we approach challenges and problems is a crucial aspect of our decision-making process, whether in business or in our personal lives. In companies and environments in which criticism, pessimism, cynicism, and motivation by fear prevail, an attitude develops that leads to avoiding failure at all costs. The trouble with failure avoidance is that it's simultaneously avoidance of success, which depends on big risks.

Innovation and creativity are impossible when people are in fear of being penalized for failure.

Early experience often teaches that failure is to be avoided at all costs. This begins in childhood, when we encounter the first "No!!" It grows like a weed when we are criticized by our parents, other family members, our teachers, and our peers. It leads to associating ourselves with our mistakes, and to a self-image of clumsiness and awkwardness. Not wanting to be criticized or rejected, many adults also seek security rather than risk looking foolish or appearing awkward. They quietly ride with the system, not rocking the boat.

All lasting success in life is laced with problems and misfortunes which require creativity and innovation. Winners turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

In the 1920s, when Ernest Hemingway was working hard to perfect his craft, he lost a suitcase containing all his manuscripts. The devastated Hemingway couldn't conceive of re-doing his work. He could think only of the months he'd devoted to his arduous writing—and for nothing, he was now convinced.

But when he lamented his loss to poet Ezra Pound, Pound called it a stroke of luck. Pound assured Hemingway that when he rewrote the stories, he would forget the weak parts and only the best material would reappear. Instead of framing the event in disappointment, Pound cast it in the light of opportunity. Hemingway did rewrite the stories, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This week, concentrate on framing your challenges as "opportunities to grow" rather than "disappointments and problems."

—Denis Waitley

Create Your Mission Statement for Your Personal and Professional Life by Denis Waitley

Two of life’s greatest tragedies are: Never to have had a great mission in life and to have fully reached it so there is no challenge remaining.

Are you going where you want to go, doing what you want to do, and becoming who you want to become? These are the questions we must ask ourselves. Set some quiet time aside after you have finished this program and see the two you’s in the mirror of your mind:

1. There is the reflection of the person you are today.

2. There is the image of who you will be in the future.

Looking at my own life, I am incredibly different in many respects from the person I was 10 years ago.

As you reflect on your past and anticipate the future, understand that virtually nothing you have experienced has been wasted. It all blends together into wisdom and knowledge, and creates your own unique brand of cultural diversity.

Action Idea: In your professional life, what is most important for you to achieve in the remainder of your career? In your personal life, what is most important for you to achieve in the remainder of your life? Find a close friend or associate you trust and network with often, and challenge each other to continuously strive to reach these objectives.

Passion in your purpose will help you take control of your life, and also give you one other advantage that is not widely recognized: About 10 more years of life, on average. Pursuit of a goal wears out very few people. But they rust out by the hundreds of thousands when their pursuit of happiness turns into a geriatric park. A job is something you do for money. A career is something you do because you have an inner calling to do it. You want to do it. You love doing it. You’re excited when you do it. And you’d do it even if you were paid nothing beyond food and the basics. You’d do it because it’s your life.

Be inspired to learn as much as you can, gain skills as much as you can, to find a cause that benefits humankind and you’ll be sought after for your quality of service and dedication to excellence. My nephew and niece, David and Heidi, at the ages of 30, had three little girls, ages 7, 5 and 2. On an anniversary some years ago, they went out dancing and the margarita she had must have been one powerful fertility drug. She became pregnant that night, and with no incidence of multiple births in our family, eight months later, she delivered quadruplet girls, prematurely. I hurried down to the Children’s Hospital in San Diego to get a photo opportunity and possible media coverage as “Uncle Denis of the Waitley Quads.” They told me to stand in the corner, saying I hadn’t contributed anything. The TV anchorwoman asked my niece Heidi how she felt. She said, “I feel a little tired. We’re going to need a new car.” They turned to my nephew David, whose eyes looked like burnt corks. “David, as the father, how does it feel to have seven little girls under the age of 7?” David replied, “We’re not going to need a new car, we’re never going anywhere again.” But that’s not the point of the story. In addition to seeing them as wonderful parents devoted to their seven little girls, my attention was focused on the neo-natal nurses caring for the newborn quadruplets, weighing between a pound and a half to two and a half pounds. Caring passionately for them like little birds in nests. Oblivious of quitting time. Not hearing the lunch bell at noon. Doing what they loved. Involved in helping improve the quality of life. We all can’t be Barbra Streisand or Jonas Salk. But we can chase our passion, not our pension. You’ll always do well, what you love most.

Action Idea: If you had the time and circumstances allowed, what is one of your most passionate desires in life you would like to pursue? It could be a new business idea, music, action, sports, or community service. Starting tomorrow, chase that passion a little bit at a time.

Seeds of Greatness

"The confidence you need is belief in your potential. If you see world class potential in yourself, you'll put in the effort. If you don't see the potential, you won't put in the effort and you'll wait for the performance, and the performance always follows the belief in self."

The Winner's Edge Coaching Tips

Neutralize Your Fear by Cultivating Your Faith! by Lisa Jimenez

The opposite of fear is faith. It is faith that fosters courage, boldness, and conviction. Where faith exists, fear is silenced. You can neutralize your fears by making your faith bigger than your fear. “How is this done?” you may be asking.

It is done by cultivating your faith. Think of what the word cultivate means. You probably are thinking of gardening: toiling the land, planting the seed, taking care of the seedling by giving attention to it. It’s the same with faith. You need to give attention to it to help it grow. Faith is like a muscle. It needs to be worked out. And, like a muscle, it doesn’t take long to see results. And these results help create and build future results. Faith breeds more faith.

What can you do today that will help grow your faith muscle? Make that call. Get those running shoes on. Invest in that product. Say those words. Take the leap.

Step out in faith today in one area of your life and you will begin the process of building your faith muscle in all the other areas of life. That’s how you cultivate your faith and neutralize fear… one faith act at a time!

Neutralize Your Fear by Cultivating Your Faith!

Dear Martijn,

I have taken this from www .mysticboard.com and the name of the author I have mentioned Denis Waitley. Other than that I have no idea where it is taken from. So If I have no knowledge of the original post should I not post it? The information I have given above is it not sufficient?

Pravin Kumar

hi Pravin, I appreciate that you gave the name of the author in the post. Ideally quotes should credit the original author AND the source of the quote. I also understand that sometimes it is difficult to find out who is the original author / source, when quotes are posted and re-posted randomly on the internet.
However it is important that you understand the laws about plagiarism and copyright - not only out of respect for the original author, but also for your own protection (you don't want to get sued for using someone else's words without permission from the author), AND also for respect / protection of the forum. If we allow people to write quotes with no permission from the author, or at least credit the original source, then the forum could get closed down.

You can try to find the source of quotes by copying and pasting sentences into google search.
eg if you copy & paste the first sentence -
" One of the most desirable attitudes of a leader is an ability to view problems as opportunities and setbacks as temporary inconveniences. "
google immediately comes up with a link to
Issue 142 - Denis Waitley International | Ezine
www.deniswaitley.com/ezines/2009/pr142.html

You already told us that this quote is from Denis Waitley's words, so then check the content as this seems like it may be a good source to link to. You can see from other listings that the quote has been posted and reposted many times on blogs etc. But my guess is that 'Denis Waitley International' is an original source of the author.
If the first sentence doesn't bring up reliable results, try another sentence until you find the words coming from "the horses mouth" as we say - which means "the original source". There are serious laws about copying material without the permission of the author, and about how much you can post (eg certain quotes are Ok but you can't reproduce the whole book ...etc). I suggest you educate yourself about 'intellectual copyright' and the laws about it.

Dear Martijn and Lynn,

Actually it is very confusing for me. I would better not post anything and first send you a PM regarding the mail and if you think it proper you may post it. That would be best. You will agree the contents of the posts are good for many in this forum but if it violates any law I would prefer not posting them or first sending to you in short at PM.

Secondly I remember distinctly that a whole book of Palmistry was posted in a forum after taking legal opinions. You also know that Benham's Book on Palmistry is available on the nett. So in this forum they took legal opinion and I was given to understand that unless you make commercial use of that posting it will not invite legal problems. For my knowledge: Is that right?

Pravin Kumar

Pravinjee
I see humiliation on part of moderators. Why you want to contribute to this forum. You are a respected palmist and there is already a forum you and Nitinjee are active. Why do you not make that form more vibrant?
Its just an advice and do not take as face value.

tajender wrote:Pravinjee
I see humiliation on part of moderators. Why you want to contribute to this forum. You are a respected palmist and there is already a forum you and Nitinjee are active. Why do you not make that form more vibrant?
Its just an advice and do not take as face value.

Tajender, Personally (subjectively) I find it insulting that you suggest that any of the moderators were trying to humiliate Pravin. Your statement is absolutely not true. I am sorry if it appeared that way, but it was not our intention at all to humiliate Pravin.(PS edit - I agree with you that Pravin is a respected palmist on various forums, I have known him on the internet for many years, and he is a valued member of this forum).

Martijn has explained that we have to respect copyright law in order to prevent the forum being closed down. But our advice is also to protect Pravin (and anyone else who posts other people's words without permission / acknowledging the author) because anyone who breaks the copyright laws could be taken to court and sued by the original author. So, rather than trying to humiliate Pravin as you suggest, we were just trying to make him aware of how important it is for everyone who posts on the internet, to understand and abide by copyright law.

pravin kumar wrote:Dear Martijn and Lynn,

Actually it is very confusing for me. I would better not post anything and first send you a PM regarding the mail and if you think it proper you may post it. That would be best. You will agree the contents of the posts are good for many in this forum but if it violates any law I would prefer not posting them or first sending to you in short at PM.

Secondly I remember distinctly that a whole book of Palmistry was posted in a forum after taking legal opinions. You also know that Benham's Book on Palmistry is available on the nett. So in this forum they took legal opinion and I was given to understand that unless you make commercial use of that posting it will not invite legal problems. For my knowledge: Is that right?

Pravin Kumar

Pravin, I agree that the copyright laws are confusing and vary in different countries.
Regarding whole books being reproduced online, there is no problem if the copyright has expired. Again the rules differ, but one rule is that copyright expires 70 years after the author's death. So, some old books can be reproduced in full with no legal implications.

Some people erroneously think that anything written on the internet is in the public domain and free to use - that is wrong, the original author automatically owns the intellectual copyright.

As I recommended before, I suggest you research 'intellectual copyright' 'plagiarism' 'copyright laws' to get an idea of what we are talking about. I think the USA are talking about bringing in new laws, and then we will have to be more careful about who we quote and how we quote them.

Generally if you are posting on any forum just a few sentences or paragraphs copied from a book or website, if you give credit to your source eg author name and book title or website link, there will be no problem. So please continue to make your posts, but at the start add the author name and book title or full website address where it came from, then there will be no problem for you or for the forum.

Lynn,

Now this particular post I sent it to Martijn by PM. He gave me the URL. I still cannot find the URL from Google so I just copied his response and posted it. Would it be O.K. If I post the Author's name alonwith the Post.

Secondly Tejinder. This is copy right problem and because the Forum does not wish to invite any legal problems to themselves or to us they are very particular. It really looked very odd to me initially as no other forum does it but they are right when they insist on certain things as they do not have any other interest otherwise.

Pravin Kumar

Hi Pravin,
yes, give the author's name but also a URL or book title. If you can't find the original source of the quote (from the author's book or website) - then instead please give the source where you found it. You can copy and paste the URL from the menu bar at the top of your screen when you are on the page you copy it from.
If we later find the original source of the words, maybe we can edit the post to add that URL too.
That way, you are showing where you got it from. For example if you just give the authors name, and the author has been mis-quoted, then it is you who is responsible for the error in the quote! But if you also give your source then the mis-quote can be traced back.