| Okay, so you've lost the "big one" - the deal | | | | military surplus engines. It looked like |
| that was supposed to put you over the top. | | | | another dead-end.Did this stop Soichiro? No. |
| The one that was supposed to catapult your | | | | He decided to start making his own small |
| career to a new level, separate you from your | | | | engines. However, there was one small |
| peers, assure that you got that promotion or | | | | problem - he had no money! So he wrote |
| maybe even pay off your mortgage. Now | | | | letters to bicycle shop owners throughout |
| what?When the rug gets pulled out from under | | | | Japan, explaining his idea to make motorbikes |
| you, the usual reaction is shock and | | | | and asking them to invest. With the money |
| disbelief. After all, you have been working | | | | that a few of them invested, he started |
| on this project for what seems like forever | | | | manufacturing his own engines and motorbikes. |
| and thought everything was perfect. Then, | | | | The first motorbikes he made were too big |
| unanticipated forces suddenly materialized | | | | and bulky and very few Japanese bought them. |
| and torpedoed your success. The next thing | | | | Was this another dead end?No. Soichiro |
| you feel is anger. Then come depression and | | | | listened to the feedback and adjusted |
| disillusionment.The real challenge comes | | | | accordingly. This is what creative |
| after you cycle through these emotions. You | | | | persistence is all about. Soichiro changed |
| need to decide your next step. What you do | | | | his approach. He stripped his motorbike down |
| from here will determine whether you are able | | | | and made it much lighter. The new design won |
| to bounce back or spiral downward into more | | | | the Emperor's Award. In time, this little |
| failure and more depression. The decisions | | | | motorbike captured 60% of the Japanese market |
| you make from here are critical.Now is the | | | | and Soichiro began exporting them to Taiwan. |
| time to make these three critical decisions: | | | | In 1948, Soichiro established the Honda Motor |
| (1) What to focus on; (2) what to believe; | | | | Company, which is one of the biggest |
| and (3) What to expect - from this point | | | | manufacturers of cars and motorcycles in the |
| forward.CHOOSE YOUR FOCUSOne of the most | | | | world today.What can you learn from Soichiro |
| profound and liberating truths discovered by | | | | Honda? True survivors know the difference |
| behavioral scientists and psychiatrists in | | | | between blind persistence and creative |
| recent years is that you can choose what you | | | | persistence. What if you say, "But I'm not a |
| focus on - no matter what is going on in the | | | | very creative person. I'm out of ideas." |
| world around you. Here's an example. Most | | | | Take comfort - there is no reason to reinvent |
| people don't know that Walt Disney suffered a | | | | the wheel. Find people who are already |
| great business defeat early in his career. | | | | succeeding at what you want to do and learn |
| While living and working out of his uncle's | | | | their secrets. Read books and articles about |
| garage, Walt Disney had created a cartoon | | | | the legends in your industry. Get into the |
| character called "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" | | | | minds of these icons. There is no excuse for |
| and signed a contract with Universal Studios | | | | blindly stumbling in the dark to find your |
| to create animated short films about the | | | | way. Find and follow the path of those who |
| little fury critter that would be shown | | | | have gone before you. If there is a method |
| before the main feature film at theaters. | | | | or system to their success, then it is |
| The short films enjoyed great success, but in | | | | capable of being learned. If it is capable |
| his youth and naivete, Walt did not realize | | | | of being learned, then it is capable of being |
| that he had signed away the rights to the | | | | duplicated. Study it. Duplicate it. Then |
| character. When his contract came up for | | | | improve upon it.CHOOSE YOUR BELIEFS AND |
| renewal, Universal Studios refused to renew | | | | EXPECTATIONSThe decisions you make from here |
| the contract and announced that it owned the | | | | are largely dependant on your expectations of |
| exclusive rights to produce films using | | | | the world and of yourself. What you are |
| "Oswald The Lucky Rabbit." Walt was | | | | expecting today determines whether you will |
| devastated.Starting over from scratch, Walt | | | | or will not be able to see the possibilities |
| desperately needed to come up with a new | | | | all around you. Those who survive and |
| character. The garage he was living in was | | | | prosper in the midst of adversity are able to |
| infested with rats and mice. Instead of | | | | see and hear opportunities that no one else |
| sulking in his misery, instead of turning | | | | can. But how do they do it?Psychologists and |
| bitter, instead of filing a lawsuit, Walt | | | | behavioral scientists have long-known that we |
| focused on what he had left - his gifts, | | | | tend to see what we're expecting to see and |
| talents and abilities - and his incredible | | | | filter out what we're not expecting to see. |
| imagination. Drawing inspiration from his | | | | For example, if you are looking for the red |
| miserable surroundings, Walt created a cute | | | | copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry |
| little mouse character that he named "Mickey | | | | Finn,you are not likely to see the bluecopy |
| Mouse." And the rest, as they say, is | | | | of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finnsitting |
| history!What can you do when someone or | | | | right there on the bookshelf in front of you. |
| something has pulled the rug out from under | | | | Why? Your mind creates a model of the |
| you?- First, don't look backward at what | | | | universe based on your expectations and you |
| "could have been."- Second, don't dwell on | | | | tend to make decisions based on that model. |
| your anger or it will consume all of the | | | | What you are expecting literally determines |
| creative energy and brain cells. These are | | | | what you can and cannot see. It follows |
| the same brain cells that you will need to | | | | logically, that if you can learn to choose |
| come up with your next move.- Third, avoid | | | | your expectations, you will literally |
| litigation if at all possible. The only | | | | determine what you can and cannot see.So what |
| people who get rich in litigation are the | | | | should you choose to expect from this point |
| attorneys.- Fourth, focus on the gifts, | | | | forward? First, make a decision to write the |
| talents and resources you have left.- Fifth, | | | | final chapter in the book of your life. It |
| make a firm commitment to start over from | | | | is your life - after all! Don't let someone |
| where you are.Remember, "they" may take away | | | | else write it for you. If you expect that |
| your office, your status, and your income. | | | | you will have the final say, you brain cells |
| But they can't take away your determination | | | | will literally open up and you will be able |
| to succeed, your inherent abilities, your | | | | to see opportunities you never saw |
| intelligence or your creativity. These are | | | | before.Three days after Lance Armstrong was |
| the very things that have brought you all of | | | | diagnosed with cancer, he boldly declared, "I |
| your past successes. These gifts, talents | | | | want you all to know that I intend to beat |
| and abilities haven't gone anywhere. | | | | this disease, and further, I intend to ride |
| Wherever you go, they are still with | | | | again as a professional cyclist." Was he a |
| you!CHOOSE CREATIVE, NOT BLIND | | | | prophet? Did he receive a message in a |
| PERSISTENCEPersistence in pursuit of your | | | | dream? Did he know something the rest of the |
| goal is a good thing - as long as it's the | | | | world didn't? The answer is - none of the |
| right kind of persistence. Blind persistence | | | | above. He simply made a conscious, |
| is lunacy! Creative persistence is genius. | | | | deliberate choice to believe. This belief is |
| Persevering against the odds doesn't mean | | | | what drove his expectations. He expected to |
| blindly ignoring the road signs. If | | | | make a come-back because he truly believed he |
| something isn't working, change it.Soichiro | | | | could make a come-back - and he did. His |
| Honda is a classic example of creative | | | | beliefs and expectations allowed him to see |
| persistence in action. In 1945, Soichiro was | | | | possibilities that others could not see. |
| making piston rings at a small plant in | | | | Likewise, your beliefs and expectations |
| Japan. The plant was destroyed by a U.S. air | | | | literally determine whether or not you will |
| raid along with most of the city it was in. | | | | be able to see the possibilities that exist |
| But Soichiro was a survivor. He chose where | | | | all around you from this point forward.Take |
| to put his focus. He collected the metal | | | | active, conscious control of your focus, your |
| from left over military vehicles and | | | | beliefs and expectations and you will take |
| airplanes and moved to a new city to open a | | | | control of your fate and your destiny. These |
| small factory and continued production on a | | | | are the three most critical choices you can |
| small scale. The end of the war brought an | | | | make.Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. |
| end to his piston ring production business. | | | | Daniel R. Castro, author of Critical Choices |
| Even though he survived the war, he could not | | | | That Change Lives: How Heroes Turn Tragedy |
| survive the end of the war.At the end of | | | | Into Triumph. To download the first two |
| World War II, Tokyo and most industrial | | | | chapters free, go to the principles that |
| cities had been destroyed. Gasoline was | | | | heroes have been following for thousands of |
| rationed and sometimes impossible to find, so | | | | years to turn tragedy into triumph. Dan |
| he came up with an idea. In 1946, he took | | | | Castro is an attorney who spent nine years |
| regular bicycles and installed small, | | | | studying the patterns of people whose |
| military surplus engines on them and started | | | | critical choices turned them into heroes. |
| selling them. But he soon ran out of | | | | |