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