Don't Quit (author unknown)

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit,
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out,
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Why a Positive Outlook is Important...

....The Shoes Story (AKA Positive Thinking versus Negative Thinking)

You will perhaps have heard this very old story illustrating the difference between positive thinking and negative thinking: -

Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a British shoe manufacturer to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential.

The first salesman reported back, "There is no potential here - nobody wears shoes."

The second salesman reported back, "There is massive potential here - nobody wears shoes."

This simple short story provides one of the best examples of how a single situation may be viewed in two quite different ways - negatively or positively. It could perhaps further be explained in terms of seeing a situation's problems and disadvantages, instead of its opportunities and benefits, but highlights how two quite different interpretations can be made of a single situation.

Problems may also create opportunities, so make sure your glass is always "half full"!!!

Forthcoming Networking Events I Am Attending

Following last Thursday's excellent Edge networking event at the Jam House in Birmingham, here are a few events coming up that I will be attending: -

18th May - Birmingham Business Breakfast Club at the Botanical Gardens, Birmingham. A 7am start.

18th May - Power Speaking with Mike Pagan. St. Paul's Club, Birmingham. 9.30am to 12.30pm

18th May - St. Paul's Business Lunch, St. Paul's Club, Birmingham. 12.30pm to 2.30pm

19th May - ITC Powertalk, The Bowling Green, Lichfield. 7.30pm

9th June - Beermat Entrepreneurs Marketing & Sales workshops, Birmingham. 9.30am to 5.00pm Hosted by Mike Southon & Chris West.

22nd June - "Unleash Your Potential", Roman Way Hotel, Cannock. This free to attend CIMA event starts at 6.30pm (book via julie.witts@cimaglobal.com).

There's lot's of great events out there which are worth attending to increase your network of contacts as well as improve your professional development. And if you can't make the event itself, then there is always LinkedIn and Twitter to help you keep in touch and get your message out there.