Once upon a time in a small village there was a mother with three young sons.
Being a hard working and busy mother, she asked her one of her sons to go to the local milkman and buy a jug of milk.
A little while later, he came back in tears with a sorry tale of woe. He'd stumbled and spilt half the milk and thought he'd really stuffed up. After all, they were a poor family and could ill afford to waste money.
The next day, the second son volunteered to go fetch the milk.
Now, I don't know, maybe there was a rut in the road because he too came back - with half a jug of milk.
Oddly enough he had a smile on his face - proudly proclaiming to his mother that he'd saved half the milk!
So on the third day, the last son volunteered to fetch the milk.
Now you probably figure where this is going…
While he came back with half a jug too, his response was very different.
He earnestly looked at his mother and said, "Mother, I stuffed up. I know I've lost half the milk, but I did manage to save the other half. And I will work harder tomorrow to make up the money to pay for it." In essence, he was a realist.
Okay, I hear you asking, "What's this story got to do with 'real life' and my business?"
All successful people in life and business have one thing in common.
They face reality and then deal with it.
It's not about a positive or negative spin. It's about no spin.
We all have times when "stuff" happens. It may be "good stuff" - a new relationship, a new business deal, an addition to the family.
Or it could be "bad" - finding out you or someone dear to you is seriously ill. Or losing your job or a major client.
Then depending on your personality, you might either sink into a depression or become the eternal optimist, putting a positive spin on what's happening.
But neither of these behaviours help you deal, really deal, with the situation.
Situations need to be confronted and then you can make decisions as to how to deal with them.
Life is not smooth. There are twists, turns, bumps and sometimes major roadblocks. But it's how you handle all this that makes all the difference between a life well lived and dying with the music still within you.
Rashid.
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