Courage in the Face of Uncertainty

I read a story this week of a man who on September 11, 2001 left his Connecticut office and traveled to Manhattan through police blockades and many other obstacles to reach ground zero that afternoon.  He watched in horror the events that morning on television like we all did and instead of being paralyzed by fear he was guided by his army training and deep faith to do something.  As the story is told he was largely responsible for rescuing the last two people pulled out alive from the wreckage of the Twin Towers. 

Most of us will never be faced with such a dramatic or heroic experience.  We live pretty normal lives with some difficulties every now and then but rarely are we called on to risk our lives for the greater good or for something we believe in strongly.  Nonetheless, we all face struggles, uncertainties and fear.  In our jobs, our neighborhoods and our homes.  Sometimes we think if we avoid problems long enough they will just go away.  When we stop lying to ourselves we'll realize all we've really done is waste a lot of time and probably ended up worrying and fretting much more and longer than we ever intended to.

Times like these scream out for courage.  The world needs people who are willing to stand strong in the face of adversity and trials.  It's awfully difficult to stand for what you believe in - especially if people are telling you what a fool you are in the process.  Yet, I would rather have convictions and find out I'm wrong and make adjustments than to be a coward and never try to do anything.  Margaret Mead said it well, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Change is hard.  Change in difficult times or out of necessity can be downright paralyzing.  Lately I have made some changes within my company and how we work with our stakeholders, customers and suppliers.  Some of these changes are to practices and policies that have been keys to our success for years if not decades.  There is resistance, there is reluctance, there is even some weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Bring it on!  My industry and business has changed 180 degrees in the last few years and continues to change.  I bet yours does too.  Old ideas don't work - even if they've been wildly successful in the past. 

Our challenge today is to venture out to places, things and ideas that have never been tried before.  It's to try to reinvent ourselves to adapt to the changing marketplace.  Having the courage and conviction to meet those challenges is only the beginning.  Some ideas may cost you in the short term.  Some ideas will have to be tossed out altogether.  The only thing more dangerous is doing nothing and watching your business evaporate before your eyes.  I speak from experience because it was happening to me. 

I don't have all of the answers and I may not have even asked all of the right questions yet.  I can assure you that I have the courage to learn and the tenacity to see it through.  How uncertain is your future?  How confident are you in your plans to address it?  These are two questions worth investing some time in.  You can avoid them if you wish but it will cost you in the long run.