Time to burn the boats?
Julius Caesar had long wished to capture the British. He sailed to the British Isles, quietly unloaded his troops and supplies, and gave the order to burn the ships. He then called all of his men together and said, “Now it is win or perish. We have no choice.”
With that single order, he guaranteed the success of his campaign. He knew that people who have no other alternative — or will accept no other — always win.
If you find yourself in a situation where victory seems impossible, you may benefit your cause by developing an alternate course of action. Einstein famous said, “It is impossible to solve a problem with the same thinking that created it”.
There are very few problems in life that are impossible to solve, and few obstacles that will not eventually give way to a determined, motivated person with a plan that is flexible enough to cope with changing condition.
So how do you start? With positive thinking. You must feel you can do it because if you think you cannot – you will definitely be right!
It is a physical impossibility for a negative mind to generate positive thoughts. When you allow yourself to dwell on the negative aspects of life, negative thinking expands to fill all of your thoughts until there is no room for positive thoughts to grow. It becomes an endless cycle.
The habit of negative thinking generates more and more negative thoughts, which the mind attempts to turn into physical reality. The result is a life of despair and hopelessness. Develop the habit of eliminating negative thoughts the moment they appear.
Start small at first. When you first hear that inner voice that says, “I can’t do this,” put the thought out of your mind immediately.
Instead, concentrate on the task itself. Break it down into manageable parts and complete them one at a time. When the job is finished, tell your doubting self, “You were wrong. I could do it, and I did!”
Good officers lead by example and make sure the troops are cared for before attending to their own needs. When you treat others respectfully and never ask another to do something you would be unwilling to do yourself, you are entitled to the respect of others — and they will freely give it. But you cannot expect others to continue marching until they have blisters on their feet while you ride in the jeep. Leading others means you must be willing to give far more of yourself than you would ever ask from them.
involving your employees on the basis of fairness. And if you aspire to be a manager, choose to work for a company that is fair in its treatment of workers. When you’ve earned your position through skill and effectiveness, you have the best job security.
