| Okay, so your worst nightmare just came true. | | | | airplanes and moved to a new city to open a |
| Your business was destroyed by forces beyond | | | | small factory and continued production on a |
| your control - by the forces of nature, a | | | | small scale. The end of the war brought an |
| freak accident, a crime or maybe even a | | | | end to his piston ring production business. |
| terrorist attack. Now what? Is your life | | | | Even though he survived the war, he could not |
| over? Can you ever recover from this? Yes | | | | survive the end of the war.At the end of |
| you can! There are three things you can do | | | | World War II, Tokyo and most industrial |
| to determine the final impact that this | | | | cities had been destroyed. Gasoline was |
| tragedy has on your life. No, you can't make | | | | rationed and sometimes impossible to find, so |
| it go away, but you do have the power to make | | | | he came up with an idea. In 1946, he took |
| an internal choice of how it will affect | | | | regular bicycles and installed small, |
| you.CHOOSE TO BELIEVEIt is essential that you | | | | military surplus engines on them and started |
| stop and get your bearings. Assess where you | | | | selling them. But he soon ran out of |
| are and what resources you have around you. | | | | military surplus engines. It looked like |
| Stop and assess the damage for what it is. | | | | another dead-end.Did this stop Soichiro? No. |
| Acknowledge it, but make a verbal declaration | | | | He decided to start making his own small |
| - out loud - that you will survive it. Yes, | | | | engines. However, there was one small |
| cancer and hurricanes are still terminal, but | | | | problem - he had no money! So he wrote |
| plenty of people survive them. Just a few | | | | letters to bicycle shop owners throughout |
| days after Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with | | | | Japan, explaining his idea to make motorbikes |
| cancer, he held a press conference in which | | | | and asking them to invest. With the money |
| he boldly announced, "I want you all to know | | | | that a few of them invested, he started |
| that I intend to beat this disease, and | | | | manufacturing his own engines and motorbikes. |
| further I intend to ride again as a | | | | The first motorbikes he made were too big |
| professional cyclist." That was back in | | | | and bulky and very few Japanese bought them. |
| 1996, when most people were predicting his | | | | Was this another dead end?No. Soichiro |
| early demise.Was he a prophet? Did he | | | | listened to the feedback and adjusted |
| receive a message in a dream? Did he know | | | | accordingly. Soichiro changed his approach. |
| something that we didn't know? No. None of | | | | He stripped his motorbike down and made it |
| the above. Lance Armstrong made an internal | | | | much lighter. The new design won the |
| decision to believe and to survive. Then he | | | | Emperor's Award. In time, this little |
| announced it publicly. This public | | | | motorbike captured 60% of the Japanese market |
| verbalization of his belief seared it into | | | | and Soichiro began exporting them to Taiwan. |
| his brain and his very soul. It came to pass | | | | In 1948, Soichiro established the Honda Motor |
| because he really believed it and this | | | | Company, which is one of the biggest |
| undying belief helped him bring it to | | | | manufacturers of cars and motorcycles in the |
| pass.You can do the same thing. Acknowledge | | | | world today.What can you learn from Soichiro |
| your opponent for what it is and then calmly, | | | | Honda? A total loss is an opportunity to |
| but firmly announce to the world that you | | | | start over with a clean slate. Have you ever |
| will beat this thing!CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON | | | | wondered what you would do if you could start |
| INTANGIBLE VALUESWhen everything is taken | | | | life over? Well, here's your chance. Life |
| from us and we are left standing naked among | | | | has just handed you a golden opportunity. |
| the tattered ruins of our life, we suddenly | | | | Start with a fresh vision. Make a decision |
| realize what life is really all about. It's | | | | to start a new life.What if you say, "But I'm |
| not about how much money we have, what kind | | | | not a very creative person. I'm out of |
| of car we drive, or how big our house is. | | | | ideas." Take comfort - there is no reason to |
| All that stuff can be wiped out in the blink | | | | reinvent the wheel. Find people who are |
| of an eye.It's about something bigger than | | | | already succeeding at what you want to do and |
| that. Something we can't see and can't | | | | learn their secrets. Read books and articles |
| measure. We can't put our finger on it. | | | | about the legends in your industry. Get into |
| We're just glad to be alive. We're just glad | | | | the minds of these icons. There is no excuse |
| the sun came up this morning. Is that a bird | | | | for blindly stumbling in the dark to find |
| we hear singing? It suddenly sounds sweeter | | | | your way. Find and follow the path of those |
| than we've ever heard it before. Is that a | | | | who have gone before you. If there is a |
| child we hear laughing? It somehow tickles | | | | method or system to their success, then it is |
| us deep in our soul.True survivors focus on | | | | capable of being learned. If it is capable |
| intangible values above all else. It may | | | | of being learned, then it is capable of being |
| sound trite and over-stated, but when you're | | | | duplicated. Study it. Duplicate it. Then |
| sitting among the ruins of your life, sit | | | | improve upon it.Remember, you may have lost |
| down and count what you have left. It will | | | | your house, your car, your health or maybe |
| refresh your soul and give you the energy you | | | | even your spouse. But no one can take away |
| need to start over.CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THE | | | | your determination to succeed, your inherent |
| HEROE'S PATHAs shocking and incomprehensible | | | | abilities, your intelligence or your |
| as your tragedy may seem, remember there are | | | | creativity. These gifts, talents and |
| many survivors and heroes who have gone | | | | abilities haven't gone anywhere. Wherever |
| before you who have survived worse. It is up | | | | you go, they are still with you! These are |
| to you to follow their path.Soichiro Honda is | | | | your sails. Your belief in them is the wind |
| a classic example of a true survivor who | | | | that will blow you around the world.Copyright |
| suffered repeated tragedies and kept coming | | | | 2005. All rights reserved. Daniel R. |
| back. In 1945, Soichiro was making piston | | | | Castro, author of Critical Choices That |
| rings at a small plant in Japan. But then | | | | Change Lives: How Heroes Turn Tragedy Into |
| something much worse than a hurricane | | | | Triumph.Learn the principles that heroes have |
| destroyed the plant - it was a U.S. air raid. | | | | been following to turn tragedy into triumph |
| The bombs dropping from U.S. planes | | | | for thousands of years. Dan Castro is an |
| destroyed not only the plant, but most of the | | | | attorney who spent nine years studying the |
| city. But Soichiro was a survivor. He chose | | | | patterns of people whose critical choices |
| where to put his focus. He collected the | | | | turned them into heroes. |
| metal from left over military vehicles and | | | | |