Media Room

Tough times? A good time to shine!
By Paul Martin (download pdf)

Paul Martin–Ironman Triathlete, Paralympic medallist and keynote speaker – offers some thoughts on how to approach the current economic crisis.

Everyone’s portfolio, even Warren Buffet’s, has taken a big hit recently. These days call for the right attitude to keep our current economic landscape in perspective.

Keeping It in Perspective

On top of careful spending, ingenuity and hard work, today’s market calls for reflection on our situation as a whole: Americans still have more food in their bellies than most humans across the globe; Americans still have more natural resources than almost any other country; Americans still have access to great education; Americans have come back stronger from financial set-backs in the past.

ThisAbility

When a car accident claimed my lower left leg in 1992, it was my attitude that allowed me to see the opportunity residing in tragedy. At 25 years of age I suddenly acquired a disability. It didn’t take me long to see the positive parallel: “disability” sounded a lot like “thisAbility” and so that’s where I put my focus–on the abilities that remained.

Having since completed 10 Ironman triathlons (that’s a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, followed by a 26.2 mile marathon run) and crossing the line ahead of 95% of the able-bodied competitors at one of them, I know that adversity is often what makes us better people who are more prepared for the next challenge.

The physical pain that accompanies an endurance event is magnified when doing so with a prosthetic leg. The skin I’ve lost to abrasions on “Stumpie” could cover each page of this article with plenty to spare. Yet that pain is gone when I cross the finish line, pull off my leg and proudly pump it overhead to a cheering crowd as they acknowledge my feat (pun intended). I enjoy the struggle simply because I know I’m better off for having experienced it.

A Better View

We have three options when we’re faced with these obstacles:

1) Get to work and go over them.
2) Turn our ambitions elsewhere and fight another battle.
3) Give up and go home.

I think we’ll all agree that the latter is nothing to be proud of and the second one is often a good choice. However, when we clear an obstacle by climbing over it, we find ourselves on top with an advantageous view of where we once stood. We also enjoy a clearer vision of the things in front of us. It’s this gift of experience that ultimately leads to better decisions, less fear, and greater confidence in the days ahead.

Bad News, Good News

I watch the news and read the papers and am occasionally uplifted as a result. Being uplifted, in the end, comes from within; choose to be uplifted. A conscious effort must be put forth to see the beauty in ugliness and like nearly every other behavior, good or bad, repetition creates habit.

Make it your business to find the good in any situation, be it personal or business. While this attitude will not lead to a “win” in every instance, it will provide an overall advantage.

The Tampa Bay Rays recently defeated my beloved Red Sox in seven games to advance to the 2008 World Series (where, ultimately, they would lose to Philadelphia). The Rays were on the brink of doing so in Game 5 when they botched a 7-0 lead in the 7th inning to lose 8-7. The next day, Rays Manager Joe Maddon was quoted in the Boston Globe: "The more you dwell on something in a negative sense, the more it can permeate your whole existence, so we're not going to do that."

I tip my hat to Mr. Maddon for putting that game behind him and focussing the team on what they’ve proven they can do better than anyone else in the American League: win the next ball game.

Your Organization Needs You…

…to be a steady hand with a clear vision of how to get past the current crisis. You’ll be that leader or team player by providing the script for how things can play out. People want to look around them and see confidence. Choose to be that positive force in the current economic environment. Choose to be the Ironman or the ballplayer that thrives on the challenge.

And I should mention that Warren Buffet sees this as a good time to buy.

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Paul Martin is a keynote speaker-for-hire with guns aimed at adversity.
Contact him to speak at your next event.