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