What do you do, or plan to do when you hit the bottom line in business? A lot of people may back out, others may commit suicide, but the bottom line remains the best time of planning for the wise…
Economic recession is hitting the world hard. In the heat of this problem, a lot of decisions, planning and measures are being initiated and undertaken by various arms of government and individual groups. Almost everybody is working towards a constant and an unabridged progress and better living, yet a new idea comes into place with the belief that a coin will not properly answer its name without the two sides of it – front and back.
To say the least, everything in life has two sides - the good and the bad side. Picture yourself in the place of a car owner. You just discover that your being in this position is having a comfortable way to get around (good) and having some extra costs (bad). Having more than one car means a lot of pleasure (good) and as well many distractions (bad); yet not having a car means fewer expenses, but more time and energy are required to go from one place to another. Being a business owner is a thing of joy that brings honor, but it also has a great responsibility. An employee has less responsibility, but lacks the power to make things happen. Name anything - we can always find two sides, two different perspectives for it.
That does not mean that the good and the bad sides are always well-balanced. One is usually stronger than the other, and that helps us to make decisions and focus our energy and efforts. Our perceptions of which side is strongest may vary, depending on our values, knowledge, emotions, awareness of the environment, and more.
Like everything else, crises have their good and bad sides. Most often, the bad side is painfully obvious, and the good side is hard to find. When we face a crisis, we may fear the worst and even panic; we might complain, saying that it is not fair; or we might fight to learn from the situation and overcome it. But whichever side you may face, always remember that the two sides in life are what bring out our real stuff. You may be facing a situation as hard as a stone, yet the way you face it, brings out your real self. Let me explain, a stone is a stumbling block and the inattentive person trips over it and gets hurt, yet it is a projectile to the brute – a very good weapon.
An entrepreneur sees a stone as a useful material – he builds with it. It’s a playmate to the children – they jump over it and stone carvers fashion them into beautiful statutes. The two sides are there, but it’s left for the person, the individual to make a choice – either to stumble over the stone and get hurt, or benefit from the stone and grow thereafter.
It is common to hear - especially from those who are not experiencing our headaches - that a crisis is a time to search for opportunities to grow. But it is not easy to feel that way while you have bills to pay, a market to serve, a board to report to, and so many other responsibilities, which always multiply in difficult times.
I once heard that a crisis is diving into a pool - when you do not know how to swim. Maybe there is no one around who can toss a life preserver your way. You keep going down and down. You see the bottom of the pool coming towards you. If you do not panic, when you get to the deepest place, you can push with your feet against the floor and get out of the water to breathe again. From this, you will learn a lesson for the rest of your life. You will avoid diving into a pool before learning how to swim.
But, if for some reason you do fall into another pool, you will remember that you cannot panic to find your way out. When I am in the deepest part of a crisis, I am that much closer to the floor, where I can push to get out of that situation. Ever since I learned this tactics, when I face a crisis I begin to look for opportunities.
However, when you remember that God is faithful, and understand that a temptation is a crisis, then God will prove to you that He will not let you face any crisis beyond what you can bear. Maybe He will send you a life preserver - or remind you to push when you are at the bottom of the pool.
Believe it, every economic crisis on your way in life, though with its attendant global problems, has within it a sign of a good thing to come ahead, and also a reminder that you need to approach life with a new perspective. My prayer is that this economic storm will pass over us for good; and with you and me in this generation; the world has no bigger problems than we can put heads together and solve. With proper planning, we will overcome the crisis, improve the operation of world economy, and grow in the service of God and humanity.
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