As a businessman, looking into the future is an absolute must. The long term goal is something that weighs heavily in my mind at any point in time. With people relying on me for my trade and my business with employees and their families, I have no choice but to focus on how to keep my business afloat and sailing. Instant oatmeal businesses go as quickly as instant oatmeal.

Unpredictability and chance are two of mankind’s greatest weaknesses, because there’s very little we can do about it. Science says that we cry out of frustration over any other emotion. When you think about it, that’s pretty accurate.

At the intersection of victory and defeat is opportunity. One opportunity, one chance to seize the moment and suddenly you’re on top. This is where patience comes in. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but at some point your opposition will underestimate you or take their eyes off of you and then you have every chance in the world to take it for your own. Maybe all you need is a little boost, support from people who have been in it with you since the beginning.

Life has a habit of going its own way, not our way. When you turn on the news and see the constant and unrelenting flow of misery and sadness, it’s hard to look around and be grateful for the world as it is. Yet, at the end of the day we still have homes, families, friends, and so much else.

I like to stress the importance of having people around you who support you and elevate you while pushing you to do your best. By surrounding yourself with people to help you maximize your potential, you’re creating a safety net. I’m sure you’ve seen in a movie or heard someone say “I’ve got your six” or “I’ve got your back.”

You’ve been told by coaches, teachers, friends, instructors, generally anyone with a pulse that “winners never quit and quitters never win.” As cliche as it sounds, it’s important to remember that losing and quitting aren’t the same. Losing is a type of situational criticism, as loss can be our greatest teacher. Sage wisdom doesn’t come from a place of overinflated self-importance, it’s a humble understanding and acceptance of your flaws, your weakness, and the revelation about how to do it better.

Attitude and gratitude are two uniquely human perspectives that, for the most part, result in us having to make strong adjustments to what many consider to be a natural human reaction. When something doesn’t go our way, we tend to lash out in bitterness and blame ourselves, God, the universe, whatever is close at hand.

Learning something and applying that knowledge is something, but to understand requires an empathic connection with that experience that is necessary for growth. A growth mindset is what enables people to develop skills and mature in a way that is unique to our species. To dwell in the past is to reject that growth, but a forward lifestyle that values progress over stagnancy tends to reward us with greater personal development.

Seasons refers to the change and transition from one stage to the next. For better or worse, this is something many of us look forward to because it signifies the chance to start again. I believe that seasons can refer to periods of time as short as a month, down to a week, and in some cases even a day. God gives us the gift of sleep with the hopes that when we wake up, we have the chance to capitalize on a new day.

Fear of failure serves a purpose that most don’t credit it with, and that is imbuing in the fearful a will to survive. In the turbulence of the economy around 2008 through 2012, I met with several bankruptcy attorneys and other local business owners who told me I was done. As I struggled with trying to figure out what on earth I needed to do, I came to the resounding conclusion that no matter what it took, what cost, I would soldier on. If I go bankrupt I go bankrupt, if garbage is spilling over the side, it all stinks.