The Perils of Positive Thinking and a Powerful Dose of Reality

The perils of positive thinking and a powerful dose of reality.

How's that for the use of alliteration eh?! My high school English teacher would be proud.

I recently read an article by Perry Marshall about Admiral James Stockdale. He was Ross Perot's Vice Presidential candidate in 'the US 1992 election. Didn't do well as VP candidate but was quite an impressive military man. He was former president of the Naval War College and was the highest ranking officer in the dreaded "Hanoi Hilton" in Viet Nam.

He spent eight years in Hanoi and was tortured numerous times by his captors.

Mr. Thomas Barnett relates:

"Stockdale tells the story of the optimists who never survived their time in Hanoi, simply because they clung far too much to their dreams of release and in doing so couldn't handle the brutal realities of what it took to survive the day to day.

"So instead of dealing with the here and now realistically, they tended to cling to the hope that they'd be home by whatever the next holiday was, and when that day came and went, their spirit would be diminished by that measure.

"Over time, they died because their spirit was extinguished by reality."

Stockdale explains:

"You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end (which you can never afford to lose) with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."

The problem with so many people who are positive thinkers is that they lose touch with reality. They have high visions of what they WANT their business and life will look like, but they aren't will to bust their behind to get there.

When I train for Ironmans and endurance events, my workouts vary. My easy days are very easy. My hard days are very HARD. I have a coach, a plan, and a strong work ethic. Many people I've met tell me they would love to do an Ironman. Guess it sounds sexy or something. It's no big deal, anyone can do one. As my dad would always say "You gotta wanna".

So whatever your goal is – you do have one don't you? Have faith in it. Believe. Visualize. Seek wisdom. Plan. Prepare. And work.

For the powerful dose of reality…

… if you truly want to do well, here is what you need to do…

• niche your business
• KNOW your customer
• segment your prospect and customer lists
• up your prices (people will pay more if you can competently make their frustrations, headaches, unknowns and concerns go away AND deliver exceptional value)
• move to more affluent clients
• change your language to match your niche
• craft a powerful USP (Unique Sales Proposition) and UVP (Unique Value Propostion)

Doing those will put you miles ahead of the competition. Many of them are too lazy to do that and will slash prices in an attempt to gain business and complain that times are hard. (they ARE HARD! that's the reality!!)

And while we're at it, let's make some new assumptions.

• assume your clients will take longer to make decisions
• assume it will take longer to get paid
• assume vendors will be slower than they promised
• assume your biggest account will dry up
• assume your biggest source of leads and customers will dry up with no advanced notice
• assume some unforeseen circumstance like a legal challenge or financial setback will pop up

Prepare for these and put things in place to avoid them. And once you've planned for them and determined to push forward. With your vision in front of you. Your faith in tact. Ready to work. THEN you can look forward to great success. Anticipate it.

When you adopt this thinking, you will speed up the pace of accomplishment. You will gain focus and creativity. You will attract the right people into your business.

With the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be, you will make it out of Hanoi and reap rewards that will leave many people wondering "How did they get so lucky?" When that happens, just smile. :)

Hope you enjoyed this.

Blessings