Published December 19, 2011 | 
It truly is amazing what the human mind can do with what you think. The mind can conceive of great and mighty things that will literally change the world, and yet, it can convince you (or you convince yourself through your thoughts) that your world is caving in and there is no place to hide. I believe it was Zig Ziglar who said, “You are what you, because of what goes into your mind. You change what you are by changing what goes into your mind.” That, my friend, is so true, of business… and of life totally.
At this writing we are living through some of the worst economic times in history. It does not seem to be giving in and turning around soon, either. Millions of people have lost their jobs, many stand to do the same in months to come. Businesses, long standing, are closing their doors. And that is not the worst of it. Lives are being destroyed. Marriages are going down the tubes, life savings are being eaten up and wrecked, and lives are being taken.
In household after household, boardroom after boardroom, it would not be difficult to turn the finger back towards ourselves and say, “I’ve blown it. I have let everything be destroyed. I HAVE FAILED.” Despair turns to hopelessness and depression turns to wrecked lives. Our world seems to be crumbling around us and FAILURE SEEMS TO BE FINAL. The light coming toward us in the tunnel seems not to be the light at the end of the tunnel, but the headlamp of an oncoming train! Failure seems final. Nowhere to turn. No place to go. No hideaway to hide in. Failure is final. Or… so it seems, right now!
But failure was not final for Thomas Edison, or Colonel Sanders, and does not have to be final for you and me. Our lives may take a detour, we may get stopped in the middle of our dreams, we may even stagger through some stage of life, but you and I have choices, as human beings, and you can choose to go through the failure OR let the failure in your life become a final straw and stop trying.
Failure does not have to be the final answer to the stuff of life. If you really THINK that to fail is final, THEN FAILURE WILL BE FINAL. If you allow it to, failure will stop you cold in your tracks, derail the possibilities and opportunities, sidetrack your focus, and ambush your heart felt ambitions. Failure can suck life right out of your determination and resolve and make you question your very being. It will do that if you really believe that to fail is a final destination.
Thank goodness medical researchers do not believe that failure is final, or we would not see so many medical marvels. Celebrate that most adults do not give up on their kids, or we would be run over by hordes of juvenile delinquents. It is incredible that inventors continue on when there just doesnäó»t seem to be any answers, and unfathomable that in the deepest crises triumph can resolve to win. You see, failure is not necessarily final, BUT THINKING IT IS, WILL MAKE IT FINAL TO YOU!
“You are what you are, because of what goes into your mind. You change what you are, by changing what goes into your mind.” So the choice really is YOURS! Choose it wisely! Your life and many others’ lives hang in the balance.
