|
Here I am again with another story. I was reading about Admiral James
Stockdale, highest ranking officer in the "Hanoi Hilton" in Viet Nam as
written by author Thomas Barnett. Stockdale spent eight years as a
prisoner of war in Hanoi and was tortured numerous times by his captors.
Four of his eight years were in solitary.
Mr. Barnett writes: "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."
He goes on to explain how they tended to cling to the hope that they'd
be home by the next holiday. When that day came and went, their spirit
sank to a new depth. Over time, they died because their courage had been
done in by the reality of their present circumstances. Stockdale
believed that while you must always believe that you will prevail in the
end, it should not be confused with current reality, whatever that might
be.
Suddenly, I paralleled Stockdale's theory with Internet entrepreneurs;
the extreme optimist. We are prime targets for zealous salespeople who
promise residual slam dunks to starry-eyed prospects. While the result
won't be unspeakable torture in our quest for wealth, it's sad to
realize that ninety-five percent of us will fail simply because we never
anticipated the obstacles.
If we are what we think, then most of us walk into a competitive program
with "success" stamped on our forehead. We've already witnessed our
sponsor turning his bank account into a "cash machine" - it can't be
that hard, right? And when you think about it, today a million bucks
seems more like a living wage than a small fortune. Millionaires are a
dime a dozen: nearly 5 million households in America have a net worth of
at least that much.
The most powerful drive in our country is the desire for more. It has
become the DNA of democracy and therefore inherited by every American.
Brainwashed in guru-jargon that claims nobody wants to be a nobody, we
begin to believe the dream "nothing can bring me down". I'll run with
the big dogs, join the new wave, use this "can't miss" strategy.
Consumed with "positive thinking" the decision path begins: I've done
this before. This one pays more. I can do this. I can begin now. I will
do this. Say it again and make it your own: I can. I will. Let's dance.
Fast forward a month or two, and Stockdale's theory materializes. No
progress has been made in spite of the fact that this new kid on the
block was well versed in return on Investment (ROI), understood the
importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and had written his own
Articles on the hidden order of MLM du jour. Spirits drop. Attitudes go
sour. He puzzles which should come first; getting it right, or getting
it going?
Out of ideas, out of a plan and out of money, common sense now seems to
get suspended. He falls into a Marketing Coma and the rest is history.
Winners are really losers who got mad. Get mad or stay employed.
©
2006 Esther Smith
About
the Author: Smith has published numerous articles and writes a blog for
all artists:
http://the-self-taught-artist.com/blog.html
She also coaches new students on how to leave the time-for-money trap and set up
Leveraged Income for life.
http://thepermanentventure.com/dcc.htm If you can’t sing or ride a
bull, you better learn how to make your money work for more money.
|