"Find a Way"

At the age of 64, Diana Nyad just completed her lifelong dream of swimming from Cuba to Florida.  Asked what was different this time that allowed her to succeed when she had attempted the swim many times before, she replied that she kept repeating the mantra, “Find a way.”

We all know people who have achieved amazing things in spite of tremendous challenges—the single mom who manages to parent her kids while holding down a job and going to school for a degree that will help her pull herself and her family up, the returned vet who suffers PTSD and finds that strength within himself to “find a way” by seeking counseling and accepting support to move through the recurring nightmare he faces, or the physically challenged friend who has such a positive attitude in spite of her pain that you’re inspired to better yourself.

The same is true for organizations.  So many of my clients who have succeeded—some against seemingly impossible odds—have done so because they embraced that same attitude—“No matter what, we will find a way.”  They do not mean finding a way by cheating, or at the expense of their employees or customers.  They mean they won’t make excuses or look for scapegoats.  They won’t take the common “cop out” that they could excel if they only had more resources.  They work with what and who they have and, through innovation, collaboration, and persistence, find a way to achieve their collective vision.

Is there something you really want that you have failed to achieve?  Maybe it’s time to take it on and find a way.  Take advantage of the “Back to School” energy that permeates the air at this time of year and tackle something important, finding a way to see it through, no matter what.