Publisher’s Note

PUBLISHER

PUBLISHER’S PAGE by David Corson

Staring down failure

Fear and failure can ruin your mindset. It doesn't matter if it’s business, athletics, personal, etc., fear can alter any outcome if you don’t know how to handle it. How many times did you fail or get hurt? Probably plenty, but did you dust yourself off and try again? That’s the question at hand.

As I look back at my life, there were plenty of learning experiences dealing with fear. Like that time I got bucked off my horse. It was terrifying, but I got back on. That’s what I did when I was growing up. When I went over the handlebars on my Schwinn Banana Seat 3-speed and knocked my teeth out, along with picking up some serious road rash, do you think I ever rode a bike again? You bet I did. When I got hit with a baseball and broke my nose for the first time, right before my Bar Mitzvah, did I stop playing? Nope. But my parents were not happy campers when it came time for photos. One unforgettable memories was the time I had to unhook the overhead crane in the family steel plant during my 16th birthday summer job. We were welding the roof on top of a train car sandblasting booth we were constructing. The project superintendent said get your tail up there and unhook the crane supporting the roof as my Grandfather the owner of the 4th generation family construction company was with a client on a site visit and wanted to show off his grandson at work. So up I went with doubts in my mind knowing if welds did not hold, would take a fall 20 feet down on to the railroad ties we had just laid. Scary, for sure. Did they hold, yes. My Grandfather relieved with a smile as I made my way down and told me way to go at dinner that evening, priceless. Even one day surfing in the ocean in South Jersey I had a fairly big shark swim in the swell very close to me. It was not long after I had seen the thriller, “Jaws,” no less. It definitely made the hair stand up on the back of my net. Did I go back out to catch another wave? Yep. Fear can make your mind wander into negative territory when failure is involved, but it needs to be dealt with. Recently, the Atlanta Braves won the World Series—their first since 1995. Last year, they were swept by the LA Dodgers, after being up 3-1 in NLCS. They ended up losing three games in a row. This year, up 3-1, they lost Game 5 in Atlanta, where they could have clinched it all in front of the home fans and all those doubters who were waiting to say, “Déjà vu.” Well, they took matters into their own hands, conquering their fear of losing again and beat the Houston Astros in six games, the clinching game a 7-0 shutout. Sure, they could have folded, but they persevered with a job well done. The Atlanta Falcons recently were up 24-6 in the fourth quarter—an 18-point lead just like they had in the Super Bowl. But with a minute to go, on the road in enemy territory, down 25-24, they stared fear in the eyes and went down the field to kick the winning field goal. And it was against their arch rivals, the New Orleans Saints. Even the TV broadcasters brought up that they were the only team in NFL history to blow an 18-point lead in the 4th quarter. In one week, two failures were corrected by doing the best that could be done. Forget the rest, is what they say. You can't change history, but you can change the future by facing fear head on. You win some; you lose some, but learning from the experience is an asset in any circumstance. If you want something bad enough, you will do what is needed to obtain that euphoria of victory. We wish you all a positive end to 2021. May you have good health and safe travels while looking forward to a prosperous New Year ahead. We hope to see you via Zoom at our Virtual Summit, January 20th. And "Happy Thanksgiving." As always, keep the faith.