Recently I was asked on a radio show, what I thought about the economic crisis. “Fantastic!” I replied to the astonishment of the interviewer. And I meant it. Here is why.
Webster Dictionary defines the word “Crisis” as a crucial or decisive point or situation; an emotionally significant event, a turning point toward improvement or deterioration or a juncture that requires us to make a decision and take action.
What it does not say is that it is “the end of the world”, “the worse thing that can happened to you”, or “the biggest failure you’ll ever face”. It is simply an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is awaiting.
In fact, the Chinese language offers us an even better take on this word. The word for “crisis” (wēijī) consists of two separate characters, wēi (which conveys the notion of danger) and jī (which indicates a crucial point than can either turn out for better or for worse, but when coupled with wēi signifies the possibility of a highly undesirable outcome). A crisis is a crucial moment that poses a great danger; a testing time, if you will.
Where am I going with all of this? Lately it’s impossible to turn on the radio, watch TV or read the papers without learning about another victim of the “economic crisis”. And here is where the real danger is: in allowing the negative news and reigning pessimism to tell us how to think and act with respect to our goals and the challenges we may be facing. What is crucial? The need to make decisions, evaluate alternatives and take swift action.
Unfortunately, in times of crisis, most people want somebody else solve the problem; sit and wait and have patience. We select from an infinite array of excuses, justifications, pretexts, explanations and apologies–I call them “cows”—that we have at our disposal for such instances. And once we have mustered a believable excuse we feel freed from taking any further action.
I think this is the real danger the Chinese definition is referring to: allowing these cows to rule our life, telling us how to think and act. We need to kill our cows and realize that our real obstacle is to overcome self-imposed limitations on our true potential and ability to succeed.
Can you think of any cows that may be holding you back from using your true potential and living the life you want?
