To say it has been an interesting week would be an understatement. Just a little over a week ago people by in large didn’t really have a care in the world. There were potential fears viewed as an outside chance of happening. However, the reality of it in most people’s minds was that life would continue to go on as normal… maybe with a few inconveniences. However, one week ago that all changed. Since then, they have continued to change.

“Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win.” – Max Mckeown

When the world finds itself on the other end of this crazy time, it will come out changed. This is inevitable. How people react to that change will, in many ways, determine their future. Some people will be proactive and recognize that change is coming and prepare for it as they analyze the events that are happening. Others will wait to see what the changes are and then react accordingly. Still others will wait for the changes and deny that they every happened. All of these approaches to changes will have different results. Those who have read The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People and embraced those seven habits will try to proactively approach the change and see the opportunities that can be found. Those who wait for change to happen and then react will find themselves approaching things already a bit behind. And those who refuse to acknowledge the change happened will have a whole other set of challenges unto their own.

What is needed right now is the power for people to be levelheaded, proactive, adaptable, and all of this with a level of creativity. All of this will need to come with a focus on how to not just get through this, but how to turn the challenges of our time into a way to win. This will mean embracing new ideas, new ways to communicate, and new ways to succeed economically.

This is the time where people can succeed through adversity. People can focus on just attempting to survive or thrive. Here are a few tips for leaders who want to thrive through adversity.

Attitude is Everything

The power of the mind can’t be underestimated. As people are approaching adversity it is very easy to get caught up and overwhelmed with everything that seems to be coming at them. To succeed moving forward, people need to have an adventurous attitude that also has a sense of humor. There are two important reasons for this. Having a sense of humor and an ability to laugh and the decision to face the future as an adventure to be overcome. Through it all, it is absolutely crucial to maintain a positive attitude! 

A part of having that positive attitude is a firm belief in the fact that “you can.” It is amazing what people can do when they believe they can do it and refuse to be told otherwise. I know in my own life I have been able to achieve things that people said would never happen over and over again because I’ve been crazy enough to believe it. Because of this, I directed a professional symphony at 21 years of age, have run non-profit organizations, and now am the executive producer on an international television show. If I can, you can!

Use the Past to Push through the Future

Your past can determine your future. I’m a strong believer in the fact that the decisions we make today determine the future that we live tomorrow. I also am a strong believer in learning from past experiences to be better during future ones. Those past experiences helped mold you into the person you are today and build up your strength for future successes. As they say, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger! Keep that in mind when facing new tests and challenges. They will just help build you as your stretch your comfort zone through each new adventure.

The Serenity Prayer is Your Friend

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can,  and wisdom to know the difference. – Reinhold Niebuhr

Be at peace with the situations you are in. Recognize that some things you can change, others you can’t. That’s ok. Just focus on making the things better that you have the ability to. Let the things that you can’t control be. The worst that can happen is for the things that are out of your control get into your head and drag you down. Instead, think of the serenity prayer and focus on what you can do and the adventure that is being had. Mindset is incredibly important.

Don’t Give Up!

The people who succeed during times of adversity are the people who absolutely refuse to give up. Not giving up is a mindset, a choice, a commitment, and a mission. It is not letting anything stop you from where it is you are going to go. Sometimes that means finding a way around an obstacle. Sometimes that means recovering from setbacks. It ALWAYS means that you “keep moving forward” as Walt Disney once said.

A big part of not giving up is knowing why you are doing what you are doing and why you shouldn’t give up. Knowing the reasoning, or your motivation, will help you to continue moving forward. This belief in why you are doing what you are doing will reinforce your ability to never give up!

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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Being successful is about boldly going towards whatever definition of success one is pursuing. For some people this is cause and for other people it is a result or destination. Whatever the outcome, a successful outcome requires effort, boldness, and the drive to reach whatever the successful outcome is.

With that in mind, I started thinking about some universal ingredients needed for success. As with so many things, the question must always be answered of “why do I want to succeed at this?” What are the consequences of failure or not trying? What are the benefits of success? Are they worth the effort? These questions should be what is considered first. It will not only help you in the future as you chase after your desired outcome, it will also help you weigh whether or not you actually want to pursue it. Once this question has been answered, and I mean really answered so that you can own it not just in your head but also in your heart, its time to move forward towards where you want to go.

To move forward and pursue your desired successful outcome you are going to need to have a sense of adventure. A sense of adventure is what will help you step out of your comfort zone, try new things, and perhaps most importantly, face your fears. To achieve a new success you must do things you haven’t done before. Recognize that as just a part of success. Recognize also, successful people do what unsuccessful people won’t. They go a little further, work a little harder, face more fears, and push their comfort zones. All of this could be just a little bit more but that little bit more than everyone else can pay major rewards.

Adventure can (and should) have a plan and a destination. Know where it is you want to go. Connect it with why you want to go there. Then combined start facing those fears, working a little hard, pushing a little further, and stretching your comfort zone. Bring a sense of adventure into the journey towards the destination and turn those obstacles into opportunities. Recognize that the adventure is a part of the reward of success. There will be high points and low points along the way. However, with a sense of adventure, these can be a part of the reward instead of the cost of it.

Creativity can change the world. The people who are creative are the people who are taking that adventurous spirit (and I don’t mean being Indiana Jones) to challenge themselves and try something new. For some people this is easier than others. However, creativity isn’t just a gift… it is a muscle. Just like athletes or musicians hone their skills, people can do the same with creativity. If your reason why is strong enough, you will choose to embrace creativity on your adventurous road to success! It just may not look what you initially imagined.

Let’s start off with what creativity doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t have to be someone painting a picture that people will stare at and love for generations. It doesn’t have to be writing a song that is loved by millions. It doesn’t even have to be creating a new recipe that makes people’s mouths water the moment they think of the dish. What it does have to be is a skill that can be intentionally developed over time that can lead to new things. What it will do for your road to success is allow you to look for solutions and new ideas in ways that you hadn’t thought before.

If you want to be more creative the good news is, you can! With the choice to work on being more creative a whole new world can be introduced to you. Once you have made this choice, try a few of these three things to start building up your creative muscle.

First off, do something creative. This can be as simple as doodling on a piece of paper, listening to different types of music, taking pictures with your phone, writing something (ideally fiction), or even reading! I like to do a few of these different things, sometimes at the same time.

Second, learn and be teachable. To do this you want to broaden your knowledge base and put new thoughts and new ideas in your brain. This can be done through taking a course, reading books, going to museums, or attending seminars. It is also a great idea to surround yourself with people you look up to and can learn from. Be teachable from the people who have gone before you and succeeded. Learn from their successes and also their failures. Also be open to learning through doing new things. You never know how a new experience can lead to a new perspective. As all of this is happening, make sure to have some fun along the way. A little play can go a long way.

With all of this, make sure to share what you are learning and experiencing. I remember in school hearing that the best way to learn was to teach. Be thinking how you can effectively share what you are learning with others. This can be done in your head, in a conversation with others, or even on a video online. What is important with this is that you are furthering the development of your thoughts and ability to communicate them.

And third, create an environment for creativity. The proper environment can really help stimulate creativity. Creativity comes from the head and the heart so you want to do what you can do to help those environments thrive. This means doing something as simple as walking and getting exercise, drinking lots of water, making sure you are getting proper nutrition, and also getting enough sleep. These may not seem like big things, but they really do make a big difference. Decluttering your environment can also be very beneficial.

A proper environment for creativity also is also building up that culture around you where new ideas are embraced, failures and the lessons learned from them are celebrated, and the journey is almost as important as the destination. Part of the journey is meeting new people with new ideas. It also is learning to disagree without being disagreeable. It is about creating a culture and environment that is positive and uplifting, not negative and degrading. If you find yourself being dragged down regularly by those around you, it might be time to start asking some questions and making some hard choices.

There are many similarities to the great success stories we hear. Learn the stories of Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, or even Abraham Lincoln. It soon becomes readily apparent that a part of their road to success was choosing why they wanted to do something, having a sense of adventure and willingness to pursue it, and then having some level of creativity to open their mind to new ideas and perspectives along the way. Then they boldly took action to achieve their successes. You can do this too. Boldly choose where you want to succeed and why and success can be achieved in ways you may never have even dreamed was possible!

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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“The choices we make today impact the lives we live tomorrow.”

I’ve thought and said that phrase for years. I’m not sure if it is something I came up with or if I read it somewhere. What I do know is that it is true. Our future is influenced by our choices. This is true when it comes to life decisions, career decisions, relationship decisions, and even lifestyle decisions. The choices we make set the trajectory for where we will go. Will we always get exactly where we choose to go? Perhaps not. However, if we don’t make any choices we won’t go anywhere.

Today I’d like encourage you to try something: choose success. It seems ridiculously simple to say this but it also could be life changing. Stop and take a moment to think about this. What things in your life would you like to succeed at? What are the things that you want to do? What are the things you want to change?

Once you have identified these things it is time to evaluate what you want with them. What is the cost of success? What is the cost failure? What is the cost of staying where you are at? Once you have thought about these things it is time to decide the very basic question of is it worth it?

So you’ve decided it is worth it! Excellent choice! Your next choice is to move beyond deciding it is worth it and choosing to actually succeed. Choose success! As simplistic as this sounds, it is a fundamental part of the path to success. Choosing success will not only change your mindset, it will also change your trajectory. When you choose success, you’ve picked a point on the map of life that you want to head toward.

You’ve chosen success. Now it is time to move towards it. Remember why you made that choice with every step you take. Be consistent and proactive about taking a new step forward every day. When you have chosen to succeed and continue the pursuit of success, it is inevitable. It may not end up looking exactly what you imagined it would look like when you do succeed. Often it looks different but even better than imagined. Mainly because the process of achieving success makes the point of achievement that much more satisfying!

So what are you going to choose to succeed at? What choice toward success will you make today? Don’t wait, choose success and succeed!

About Post Author

Robert A. Laird

Robert A. Laird is an entrepreneur and also Executive Director - Creative for Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church/Hour of Power with Bobby Schuller where he oversees the television show of the same name. He also works with the Reliv Kalogris Foundation as it strives to feed starving children around the globe.

robert.laird@dapsmagic.com

http://robertlaird.me

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