|
How to Turn Personal Obstacles into Triumphs
Special to The Truth
Everyone faces setbacks in
life. While those personal obstacles can lead to
disappointing outcomes, they can also be harnessed into
personal motivators, say experts.
“When it comes to success,
setbacks can be used to motivate one to action, rather than
the alternative,” says five-time New York Times best-selling
author and journalist Josh Young, who has studied this
concept intimately. As author of “And Give up Showbiz?” the
new biography of illustrious personal injury lawyer Fred
Levin, Young documents the rise and success of someone to
whom life handed lemons.
Levin is listed in every
edition of “Best Lawyers in America,” and is inducted into
the Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. But his still-thriving legal
career that spans over a half-century wasn’t written in the
stars. Levin grew up the son of a pawnbroker and dog track
manager at the end of the Great Depression. Barely passing
college, his success was certainly against the odds.
Having closely studied and
tracked Levin’s exponential rise to success, Young is
offering insights into how to turn your impediments into
assets.
• When a door is closed,
open a window: When your limitations are beyond your
control, view them as opportunities. As a Jewish lawyer, few
doors were open to Levin in the early 1960s, especially in
the particularly profitable area of corporate law. Levin
leveraged this anti-Semitism that was prevalent at the start
of his career to forge a path for himself as a personal
injury lawyer -- a profession that was then in its infancy
and distained by the established, but would eventually
become wildly lucrative.
Levin also harnessed his
own personal experiences with discrimination to become an
open advocate for African Americans and gays, and has been
honored by the United States Congressional Black Caucus and
the United Nations for his efforts.
• Don’t get silo-ed: The
skills that have served you well in one arena can be applied
to others, as well. So don’t get stuck on a narrow path.
Levin, for example, has successfully pivoted into worlds
unrelated to trial law, tackling such diverse challenges as
founding the first reality cable TV station, managing the
boxing career of one of the greatest boxers to ever live,
and even running a chain of women’s dress shops and barbecue
joints.
Discover what it is about
you that helped you succeed and find ways to apply those
skills in new ways.
• Turn insult into
victory: Not everyone with power and influence over your
future is going to be your advocate. Rather than let
naysayers’ prophecies become reality, succeed in spite of
their beliefs about your potential. When Levin entered law
school, he had a reputation as a party boy, gambler and
lousy student. Having barely skidded through college, the
dean of his law school predicted he would never graduate.
Even while dealing with the death of his brother, Levin
proved the dean wrong, graduating third in his class.
Information about Young’s
new book can be found at www.AndGiveUpShowBiz.com.
Even when obstacles
abound, so do opportunities. With some creative thinking,
you can triumph over setbacks.
Courtesy StatePoint
|
