In my work with leaders, I find that one quality often makes the difference between success and failure: Resilience. "There is a path through pain to wisdom, through fear to courage, through suffering to strength, and it requires resilience ... the ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challenge."
That's why I am recommending to my clients a powerfully insightful book entitled, Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life, authored by a Rhodes Scholar, Boxing Champion, Humanitarian Leader and Navy SEAL, named Eric Greitens.
The following is an excerpt that is representative of the kind of uncommon wisdom that has been learned by leaders across history:
History is full of those who have tried to escape the burdens of responsibility. At the extremes, some have even traded their freedom for obedience to tyrants. One of my favorite streetwise philosophers, Eric Hoffer, studied the reasons why people voluntarily give away responsibility and join mass movements and mobs. One quote he collected came from a young German who explained that he joined the Nazi party to be "free from freedom."
The desire to avoid responsibility can be overwhelming. That desire is so great that it has fed some of the greatest epochs of tyranny and acts of brutality the world has ever known. It is a desire so pervasive, so delicious, that tyrants have been able to rely on it in every era of human history. Responsibility is a heavy burden.
But responsibility also offers power. If we take responsibility for ourselves, we become not victims, but pioneers. The victim falls prey to fear and delights in blaming others. The pioneer forges his own path; more difficult, but more rewarding.
So you ask yourself: Am I willing to take responsibility for my life, in word and in deed? If not, your chances of living a rich and fulfilling life are almost zero. If so, you have the potential for a joyous journey ahead.
