The devil was having a yard sale one day and many of his tools were on display. They were a fiendish lot, each priced according to its value. There were hatred and jealousy, deceit, lying, and pride, but over to the side was the most well-worn of all his tools, and his most valuable. That tool was discouragement. When asked why, the devil answered, “It is more useful than any other. When I can’t bring down one of my victims with any of the rest of these tools, I can always count on this one; so few people realize that it belongs to me.”
The discouragement, hopelessness, and despair in today’s marketplace can be clearly illustrated in a CNN.com story from last week. A jobless LA man reportedly facing financial challenges shot and killed his mother-in-law, wife, and three kids before turning the gun on himself. The devil’s most effective tool once again performed its duty with precision.
In their book Character Matters, John and Susan Yates write, “If we are going to live productive lives, we have got to learn to overcome discouragement. In a sense, the more discouragement a person can overcome, the greater that person becomes.”
Consider this man’s story.
- At age seven, his family was forced out of their home and he went to work
- At age nine, his mother died
- He lost his job at age twenty-two; wanted to go to law school but didn’t have the education
- At twenty-three, he went into debt to become a partner in a small store. Three years later, the business partner died and the resulting huge debt took years to repay
- When he was twenty-eight, after courting a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him and she said no
- At thirty-seven, on his third try, he was elected to Congress but then failed to be re-elected
- That same year his son was born but four years later that son died
- When he was forty-five, he ran for the Senate but lost
- At age forty-seven, he sought the vice presidency of the United States and lost
- Two years later, he ran for the Senate and lost again
- At age fifty-one, he was elected president of the United States
Abraham Lincoln was a man who learned to face discouragement and move beyond it, becoming arguably the best president in our nation's history.
Doris Kearns Goodwin writes in Team of Rivals, “More accustomed to relying upon himself to shape events, he (Lincoln) took the greatest control of the process leading up to the nomination, displaying a fierce ambition, an exceptional political acumen, and a wide range of emotional strengths forged in the crucible of personal hardship that took his unsuspecting rivals by surprise” (p. xvi).
To simply dismiss the harsh realities of today’s economic climate would be naïve but that’s not to say that all is hopeless.
Recently David Oreck, founder of the Oreck Corporation commented, (to paraphrase) “I have lived through the Great Depression, Dustbowl, several wars, and countless recessions; every time, America has bounced back stronger than before. Americans are an industrious, productive, and good people. We will make it through.”
Hardships toughen us, change our perspective, and fuel creative and innovative thinking. It is precisely in these times that new opportunities present themselves. My hope is that you do not get blinded by discouragement and are able to recognize these opportunities; and like Lincoln, take your “unsuspecting rivals by surprise.”
Pro Lead Management was founded to help clients identify and exploit new opportunities. Want an outside perspective and fresh ideas to create new business? Call 888.836.8567 or contact us by clicking here.
* Excerpts taken from Character Matters, by John and Susan Yates (p. 146) and Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (page xvi).
Posts
