Jerry Green's Top Ten Adversity Busters

I've navigated plenty of speed bumps on life's road. My father's death led me to an entirely different career than my planned one. My business burned to the ground. Unscrupulous partners left me with a $15 million dollar debt. My doctor diagnosed me with a disease that a year earlier would have meant probable death.

Some people call it adversity. I call it life. I'm going to share with you my philosophy for dealing with the downs that will no doubt accompany the ups. Some will make you want to smack your forehead because they are so obvious. But as I mentioned earlier, the key to business is taking in more than you pay out, and scores of business fail every year because they forget simple things like that.

Finally, I've got to say that I'm skeptical of anyone who claims to have the magic solution to your life. These things have worked for me, but they might not work for you. It's important for you to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, and devise a success strategy that fits your personality.

Here is my top-ten list of adversity-busters:

Don't panic. When something unexpected comes your way, shouting, "Oh my God, I'm ruined!" is not conducive to handling the situation. Remain calm and you'll send a message to your brain that you might be able handle the situation after all.

Take the emotion out of it. To come up with a rational solution, you have to have a rational approach, and that's hard to do while your blood is boiling.

Build and use your networks. Develop and maintain a diverse group of associates and friends. Take the initiative in keeping in touch. If you only contact someone when you need their help, they'll cringe when your number comes up on their caller ID.

Be polite. The bank teller you cursed at might be the vice-president in charge of granting you a loan in a few years.

Get a plan down on paper. Review and list your assets and resources, then make a plan, Figure out what you need to do, and break it down into small steps if the big picture overwhelms you. Pay attention. It's been proven that what people call ESP is often just a finely tuned sense of what is going on around them. Once Carol Burnett woke up in the middle of the night and decided to move to the other side of the bed to sleep. Shortly after there was an earthquake and a very large, heavy big-screen TV fell from a shelf on to her bed, where she usually sleeps. In her sleep her subconscious sensed small tremors that led to big ones, and she paid attention.

It's not unusual for me to make a serious business decision after only a few minutes. I get a certain feel about whatever it is I'm considering, and I go with it. I'm not saying don't be careful, but be aware of the things your mind is trying to tell you. This works whether you're dealing with adversity or on the lookout for new opportunities. If I hadn't paid attention when I saw an ad for franchising a new, fledging rental car business, I would have missed out on Budget Rent-A-Car, which turned out to be even more lucrative than the car business.

Don't waste time looking back. Every second you spend thinking "If only?" or "I should have?" is a second you could spend developing another opportunity. Maybe somebody told you to invest in Microsoft 15 years ago and you didn't. So what? Dwelling on the past paralyzes you in the present.

Know thyself. Understand your strengths and weaknesses.

View your challenges as opportunities. Earlier in the book I talked about what my stepfather said when my business burned down. He told me it was the best thing that could have happened to me, because I could make a fresh start. That's the attitude I took. He was right.

Ask for help. Be smart about it when you do. I asked Kansas City businessman Frank Morgan for a $15 million loan and he gave it to me. But first he made sure I knew my business. Give people a reason to help, and they usually will.

Good luck out there on the highway!

Jerry Green owns WHB810, America's largest all-sports radio station. His new biography, "Autos to Airwaves, Mantle to the Mob," is available at http://www.moonbookstore.com.

Starting out in the car business, Jerry owned a Playboy Club, one of the original Budget Rent-a-Car franchises, and a series of banks before venturing into the world of media.

More Resources

10 Powerful Tenets Of Personal & Professional Leadership Using The Law Of Attraction
Leadership is an innate ability in all of us. Using the principals of the Law of Attraction to strengthen our leadership and consciously use it in our personal and professional endeavors will not only attract more success to us it will allow us to be of service to others and make a valuable contribution.
Why Cant You be More Like Me?
Here is a non-scientific, but fun way to see which style you may be. Read the poem below and then identify which one of the styles is most like you.
Teach Me Who You Are
We all have a privately held belief system that defines who we think we are. This belief system is composed of ideas that we have accumulated over time that we think describe us accurately.
To Be A Cut Above The Rest!
Mannerisms and personality traits go a long way in making impressions on other people. Some people unknowingly have mannerisms, which humor others.
Improve Your Conversations By Watching Talk Show Hosts
If you want to learn how to be a good conversationalist, a really useful place to start is by watching television!Not just any television mind you - you can learn a lot about how to have successful conversations by watching talk show hosts!One of the most important qualities exhibited by good talk show hosts on television that you can easily incorporate into your own conversations is the way they really pay attention to the person they are talking with.The most successful talk show hosts demonstrate great curiosity in hearing what the person they are interviewing has to say.
Demanding Miracles
Have you ever had an overwhelming problem or issue? Was there some circumstance in your life that seemed beyond your ability to handle it? Have you ever called out to God, Buddha, guardian angels, The Force, your higher self, Mohammed, Mother Earth, whatever name you give that spirit? To find an all-encompassing name without prejudice towards any one belief system, I'll just hereby use the word 'god' to refer to whatever or whoever it is that you pray to for assistance and guidance. Have you cried out to your god for help and guidance with some crisis in your life? Did you get an answer? Did you get help?When we get the help and assistance we've just asked for, we assume all is well in the heavens.
Limited Thought, Limited Experience
I was reminded once again the other day about how well we limit ourselves and take on the values of others and their limitations.I was in one of our morning sales meetings and just barely awake trying to concentrate on other things.
Social Skills Training Can Positively Impact Your Life
Millions of people become anxious and insecure when speaking in public, starting a conversation, or mingling with others in a social setting.There are a large number of individuals who are extremely successful in their professional lives, but tend to shy away from meeting new people, attending social functions, and interpersonal communication.
Unexpected Wisdom
If you have ever traveled across country by train, you know that meals are served with community seating. That means you can meet new people with every meal.
Courage to Change
This is a story about a woman we will call Anne, a thirty-five-year-old woman who concluded that she could never find a man. She determined that loneliness was her fate and thus went as far as accepting it as fact.
Some Straight Talk About Your Success And Happiness
I want to warn you: this article can cause some discomfort, indignation and sense of insult in minds of people who are not ready to be successful. If you are not ready to face the truth, please don't read this article, because I don't want to hurt your feelings for nothing.
Brainology... Lets Start Learning Something Everyday, Every Moment
Every normal human being learn in his life's each and every minute. He is gaining experience every moment.
Motivation for Life: What Would You Do if You Could Have a Do Over?
"The only thing it takes 365 days to change is a year" - Hypnotherapist David Block"If at any time you make a mistake and want to change your selection, press the star key on the telephone pad." - AMC 20 Movie Theater recordingBoth of the above quotes imply a radical shift in popular thinking about change.
Ten Tips For Setting (And Keeping) Life Changing Resolutions
It's time for that annual ritual of making (and breaking) our New Year's resolutions. There is something about the idea of being able to start over that motivates us to pause (at least briefly) and reflect on our lives as they are, as well as how we would like them to be.
How to Take Control of Your Self Confidence
If you think success, happiness and love are going to happenwithout learning through mistakes along the way you are mistaken.Our brains are wired to learn from our own experiences as well asthose of others.
Afloat on A Sea of Abundance
In the days of the mighty sailing ships, when brave souls voyaged into the unknown, dependent on the winds and their as-yet incomplete knowledge of geography and navigation, one of the greatest and most dangerous challenges was to traverse the area known as "the doldrums."Extending about 30 degrees on either side of the equator, the doldrums are subject to days, weeks, even months of no wind at all.
Once Upon A Time There Was No Money
Once in a while a book comes along that can change your way of thinking for the better. A book that free's the mind of its old limitations.
What Characters Teach Us about Character
Character is that which defines us; it's what people will remember about us long after we're gone. The TV News, Radio Talk Shows, News-Magazines and the daily Paper are replete with stories about characters.
Some Gals Have All the Luck: How to Create Your Own Good Luck
You probably know a few. These gals marry the millionaire.
14 Relationship Principles to Live A Successful Relationship
Each relationship combines two individual stories to coauthor a new relationship story. The implicit contracts authored by each party in a relationship become unspoken assumptions that can facilitate or derail the relationship.

More Attraction Information:

Related Articles

What Did You Want To Be When You Grew Up
When I was seven years old I wanted to be an author. Not a writer, but an author.
Talk Your Way to Financial Freedom
Feeling trapped by lack of funds? We can learn from those who live comfortably and retire early. They use language differently from those who are stuck in a scarcity process.
Isnt It Time to Give Yourself Permission?
Remember back in school days when you needed a permission slip to do almost anything outside of the classroom? Things like simply being able to visit the washroom, attend a sports meeting or going on a field trip? As adults we don't need someone to give us a permission slip. We already have a whole supply at our disposal.
Releasing Your Potential
In life, few people ever step up to live their lives at a higher level. They spend their lives wallowing in the circumstances that surround them.
Why Character and Integrity Are So Important
It's been said that character is defined by what you do when you think no one is watching. What an illuminating concept that is.
The Art of Possibility
"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilledpotential.
It Doesnt Take Long To Become An Expert in The Law of Attraction
One of our Faculty, Christine Edick, has been the keynote speaker for several conferences for people in the 'career transition' industry. She received this short story, from one of the attendees, which demonstrates how easy it is to understand the Law of Attraction and to teach it to others.
My Assignment ... If You Didnt Create It, Then Its Not Yours!
Life consists of lessons. Living is continual learning.
Putting Yourself on the Road to Success
What separates successful people from unsuccessful people, achievers from non-achievers, winners from losers? Are people born that way or do they develop habits as they grow older which determine their stations in life?It would be fair to say that the answers to these questions are very complex ones. It is a combination of factors which include such things as your country of birth, when you were born, your IQ, your physique, your capacity to remember, your environment, your parents, your friends, your associates, the formal education you receive and the books you read.
Appreciation Attracts Prosperity
Did you know that appreciation is one of the most powerful forces in the Universe for manifesting and attracting prosperity? According to teachers like L. Ron Hubbard (father of Dianetics), Abraham-Hicks and Drunvalo Melchizedek, appreciating yourself and your life can literally boost you to the highest vibrations.
How to be Successful in Life or Small Business!
Not everyone is programmed to be a successful businessperson, many people make it but many more fail along the way.A large part of your future success will depend on your P.
Visualization: Attracting Your Dreams and Desires
Visualization is an essential tool for attracting your dreams and desires. To manifest in your outer life, your dreams must first manifest inside your mind.
How To Invite Positive Change In Your Life
Gnothi seauton,, said Socrates. "Know thyself.
Are You The Driver Or The Passenger?
In your journey through life are you the "driver" or the "passenger"?Let me be perfectly clear what I mean about this statement. In other words, do you take charge of your own life? Do you make the judgment and set the goals for what you want your life to be like? - Or - Do you let others influence you and follow in their footsteps?This is a very important question you should be answering.
4 Helpful Ways To Beat Shyness
Over half of all adults identify themselves as shy. Shyness can get in the way of developing personal relationships and professional aspirations.
Creating Your Future
The questions of life may call to you. You may wonder about your purpose.
Electrical Deficiencies
Our feelings are perceived by means of our sensors, our sensors are designed to detect conductors of energy that have the power to stir our feelings.It is this power we long for in particular individuals that manage to stir these responses in us, whether they manage to match their negatives with our positives or vice versa, generating a current we are unconsciously plugged into and are likely to become hooked on like junkies, particular currents determined by our electrical weaknesses and deficiencies, and the energy levels and forms we actually need to complement and supplement this malnutrition.
Who Wants to Work?
I feel a loss when pragmatism wins over the mystical. There is a greater magic at work when you engage with Source.
The Wealth-Receiving Mindset
Here is an exercise for you that will develop what I call the wealth-receiving mindset:I want you to think about the time in your life when you had the most money you have ever had.I don't care if the most money you've ever had was ten bucks, I want you to think about it right now.
Heres What I Got Out Of "What The Bleep Do We Know"
Your mind is so powerful that what you focus on happens. Your intent bends reality, creating vibrations in the quantum field.