The Willful Abuse of Positive-Thinking
Here I am again with another story. I was reading about Admiral
James Stockdale, highest ranking officer in the "Hanoi Hilton"
in Viet Nam as written by author Thomas Barnett. Stockdale spent
eight years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi and was tortured
numerous times by his captors. Four of his eight years were in
solitary.
Mr. Barnett writes: "Stockdale tells the story of the optimists
who never survived their time in Hanoi simply because they clung
far too much to their dreams of release and in doing so couldn't
handle the brutal realities of what it took to survive the day
to day."
He goes on to explain how they tended to cling to the hope that
they'd be home by the next holiday. When that day came and went
their spirit sank to a new depth. Over time, they died because
their courage had been done in by the reality of their present
circumstances. Stockdale believed that while you must always
believe that you will prevail in the end, it should not be
confused with current reality, whatever that might be.
Suddenly, I paralleled Stockdale's theory with Internet
entrepreneurs; the extreme optimist. We are prime targets for
zealous salespeople who promise residual slam dunks to
starry-eyed prospects. While the result won't be unspeakable
torture in our quest for wealth, it's sad to realize that
ninety-five percent of us will fail simply because we never
anticipated the obstacles.
If we are what we think, then most of us walk into a competitive
program with "success" stamped on our forehead. We've already
witnessed our sponsor turning his bank account into a "cash
machine" - it can't be that hard, right? And when you think
about it, today a million bucks seems more like a living wage
than a small fortune. Millionaires are a dime a dozen: nearly 5
million households in America have a net worth of at least that
much.
The most powerful drive in our country is the desire for more.
It has become the DNA of democracy and therefore inherited by
every American. Brainwashed in guru-jargon that claims nobody
wants to be a nobody, we begin to believe the dream "nothing can
bring me down". I'll run with the big dogs, join the new wave,
use this "can't-miss" strategy.
Consumed with "positive thinking" the decision tree begins: I've
done this before. This one pays more. I can do this. I can begin
now. I will do this. Say it again and make it your own! I can. I
will. Let's dance.
Fast forward a month or two, and Stockdale's theory
materializes. No progress has been made in spite of the fact
that this new kid on the block was well versed in Return On
Investment (ROI), understood the importance of Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) and had written his own Articles on the
hidden order of MLM du jour. Spirits drop. Attitudes go sour. He
puzzles which comes first, getting it right, or getting it
going?
Out of ideas, out of a plan and out of money, common sense now
seems to get suspended. He falls into a Marketing Coma and the
rest is history.
Winners are really losers who got mad. Get mad or stay employed.