Don't Be Like An Oak Tree

(Courtesy of inspirational author Harvey Mackay's daily column. For more info, go to: http://www.harveymackay.com)

Failure is all too common in business and in life. Remember, you can't live life with an eraser. You can't anticipate every possible problem, no matter how hard you try. But you can resolve to face challenges as they arise. Keep your mind wide open for solutions, listen to those around and under you, reprogram your brain for success and dig in.

A great oak tree grew on the bank of a stream. For one hundred years it had withstood the winds, but one day a violent storm felled the oak with a mighty crash into the raging river and carried it out toward the sea.

The oak came to rest on a shore where some reeds were growing. The tree wondered how the reeds still stood after the strong winds.

"I have stood up against many storms, but this one was too strong for me," the oak said.

"That's your problem," the reeds replied. "All these years you have stubbornly pitted your strength against the wind. You were too proud to yield a little. We, on the other hand, knowing our weakness, just bend and let the wind blow over us without trying to resist it. The harder the wind blows, the more we humble ourselves, and here we are!"

It is better to bend than to break. People who can bend and not break have the gift of resiliency that let them bounce back from adversity.

Mackay's Moral: Don't let hard times turn into end times. Let them lead to your best times.