By: Cathy Fothergill, copyright 2001
In business and in life, we all face challenges. There
may not be any other challenge so great as being forced
to make a new start in life. Some may lose all their
material possessions due to a natural disaster. Perhaps
your challenge may take the form of a business failure.
You may have just decided that what you were doing
wasn't working. Whatever the reason, making a new start
can be a daunting task. It doesn't have to be so.
To many, losing everything means that dreams are dashed. On the contrary, what a wonderful opportunity
we have when things around us collapse. That sounds
strange, doesn't it? How many people get a second chance at life, or business? A catastrophic loss
actually lets you get life back in perspective. After
all, shouldn't we all look at each day as an opportunity to make a fresh start? You may not have
control of the circumstances surrounding your reasons
for having to start again, but you do have control of
your attitude toward your new beginning. With the right attitude, you can take what could be a negative
experience and turn it into a positive one. You actually have the opportunity to create the life of
your dreams.
Here are some things to remember as you make your fresh
start.
Work through the pain. Scream cry, get mad, vent...whatever. Get the grief out, over and done.
Then don't revisit it, ever. Now you can begin the
restoration process.
Find peace. Read, watch and listen to as much uplifting material as you can. Listen to peaceful
music, think peaceful thoughts, pray and meditate. Do
whatever you have to do in order to restore your inner
peace.
Build yourself. Now consume as much material as you
can that will help you rebuild your faith in yourself
and your capacity to hope. Hope is what gives you energy and helps you dream again. Faith will help you
believe that you are equal to the task.
Build your future. Create your new dream. Start from
scratch. Ask yourself whether you really want to restore exactly what you had. If not, now is a great
time to change that. The only thing you should bring
with you is what you learned from past experiences.
Decide what you really want. Chances are, that your
dreams may have changed since you first started out.
Even if that is the case, it is still human nature to
resist change. We tend to hold on to those old dreams
and old perceptions. What's great is that you now have
more experience in business and in life than you did
when you first started chasing your dreams. Now is the
time to take hold of a new dream, or redefine your old
one. Ask yourself: "What am I passionate about?" "What kind of life do I really want?" Are there things
I don't want in my life any more?" Remember, now you
have experience to back you. In the words of William
Knudson, "Experience is merely knowing a lot of things
you shouldn't do."
Create new goals. Make them small at first and easily
attained. In this way, you will rebuild your confidence as you reach each goal. Gradually set your
goals higher and higher as you regain your momentum.
Remember to rejoice in your new accomplishments.
As you create your new life, remember these points.
1. Don't ask why your personal calamity happened, except to assess and evaluate any mistakes you might
have made to cause the problem. Then only look at those mistakes to discover what you could do
differently next time to avoid the same outcome.
2. Don't allow yourself to become bitter. This can be
a tough one if you were a distributor in a failed company. Just remember, the company failed you, not
vice versa. Being bitter only hurts you.
3. Don't stay where you are. Start the process of rebuilding your life and/or your business immediately.
Get moving.
4. You always have the opportunity to win. "Don't give up at half-time. Concentrate on winning the second
half." Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant
5. In starting again, nothing's ever truly new. You
have the benefit of past experiences, successes and
failures to guide you as you begin again. You are wiser now. Draw on that wisdom.
6. Don't get in a hurry. You won't be able to recover
overnight. That is why it is so important to set small
goals and rejoice in their attainment. Try to be patient!
Finally... Is losing your material possessions a calamity? Is a failed business the end of the world?
It might seem like it at the time, but of course, it's
not. Change your attitude and you'll change your life.
You now have a wonderful opportunity, an opportunity
that many never have (or won't take). Not many people
will allow themselves to change anything about their
life or their business unless something forces them to.
Have you ever said, "If I had only known so and so when
I started out..." or, "If I had to do it over...."?
Now you have that chance. What you have learned from
past experience, both negative and positive, can now be
translated into the realm of your new reality. Enjoy
it!
**Article by: Cathy Fothergill, Copyright 2001. First
published, You Plus Two, 07/15/01. More articles and
resources for writers, webmasters and home business
owners can be found at: http://www.connectionteam.com
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