Not long ago, my wife found a picture with an interesting quote and passed it on. It read: When I am sad, I just sing. Then I realise my voice is worse than my problems. She passed it on to me for good reason. When I was in my 20s I attended a university church with a group of friends. At one point I was singing heartily – and a mate looked at me strangely. Afterwards he ribbed me about my voice and (lack) of musicality, saying things that needed to be said, but it hurt just a little ne
vertheless.
While I wasn’t as deluded as Australian Idol contestants, I did not realise how bad it was.
It was and it is.
My singing voice is truly awful – and I will never experience the joy that other people experience when they belt out a tune in their car, in the shower or even on a stage. I have a morbid fear of being invited to a karaoke night.
In fact I have never since sung in public and very rarely even in the privacy of my car.
I’d never previously thought about the upside of my lack of musical ability. Until I saw that message. While it is humorous, there is a lesson hidden in that sentiment.
Sometimes it is hard to see the upside in the downside. When things are tough, it is hard to understand if there is any benefit to be had, and one has to really look hard for it. We marvel at how people like Kurt Fearnley or Nick Vujicic do what they do.
But when you try, you can see:
A recession is a good time to cut unnecessary costs
A competitor eating your lunch can make you hungry again
A problem staff member is an opportunity to review the culture and fix the problems that caused these issues
Going broke allows you to start a new, more viable business
I could go on, but I am more interested in your story. What good has come from your adversity? Comments or emails or any way you like. Share away…
Happy Trading
Dennis
LEARN TO PERFORM
PS: Today that mate is still my best friend, in case you wondered.
