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