Find the positive benefit in every negative experience

From Taipei to Taipei. Eva Air's Hello Kitty Flight to nowhere was fully booked. International tourism has been effectively stopped in much of the world for more than half a year and this special flight with a Michelin-star meal, help satisfy its customers' travel itch. Singapore Airlines has burned through half of the $6.4billion it raised through share sales in just two months, even as it cut costs and grounded most of its fleet. American Airlines announcement to cut 19,000 jobs is the clearest sign yet of the devastation for the airline industry.

COVID19 is the gravest crisis the aerospace crisis has ever known.


It's a simple truth that in life you're going to hear "good-bye" many times. From employers. From family members. From someone you love. Let's be clear: It doesn't feel good. Not the first time, not the next time and not the last time. It never feels good.


Make a point to try to understand why it was time to say good-bye, embrace what good came from it, compartmentalise what feelings you have about the experience so you can handle the day-to-day situations that follow.


A metaphor is like the time when we were splashing happily on the surface of a pool, and life probably seemed pretty good. Every person in the pool were bobbing happily on the surface. And why wouldn't they be? It is safer on the surface, and there is a lot more company. In fact, life itself is usually great at the surface.


Oh...and just so you're not surprised, you need to know that, even today, when someone leaves the surface heading for deeper water...it makes everybody really, really, nervous.


Down. It is the last place I thought to look, but I believe the treasure is indeed there. Not halfway down. All the way down.


We can use the bottom of the pool as a foundation for greatness. There is a power to be harnessed by bending the knees...squatting and push hard off the concrete and head for the surface. And when you break the surface of water - with a mighty yell and clenched fists held high, it would be overwhelming.


Okay, okay, okay...I can hear your head exploding from here. Settle down and let's think through this.


Unfortunately a mind has wings and also possesses an anchor. And either can be deployed at the drop of a thought. If you have become mired in life's quicksand by default...there is good news! As quickly as you can snap the fingers of your mind, you can immediately begin to alter the trajectory of your future.


How you think is massively influenced and largely determined by what you read, hear and watch. Another huge factor is the group of people with whom you surround yourself. Perhaps more important to choosing how you think is that you can choose what you will NOT read. You can choose what you will NOT listen to and choose what you will NOT watch. You can choose the people with whom you will NOT be around.


You know, regardless of how stressful or successful a momentary situation might be, a person's ability to outwardly demonstrate "enjoying the moment" as well as the ability to "be enjoyable to others in the moment" are critical, easily observable markers that reveal the stuff of which a person is made.

Life is a game of chess. We cannot undo the moves but we can make the next step better. The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.

Accept accountability

If you’re like me, your house or apartment has become your office, school, gym, and much more for your entire family. Stay-at–home has become business as usual and many people are looking for ways to transform their homes into ideal “staycation” spots – into their own little private resorts. People are really interested in making their house a place that they want to spend a lot of time at. These staycation transformations are driving gains in stocks such as Home depot, Etsy, Apple, Best buy, Bed Bath and Beyond.

As this black swan event drags on, leaders in every industry are moving urgently to embrace a new agenda—one aimed squarely at what comes next - with actions ranging from rapid responses to more fundamental, strategic shifts. Clarity of thinking, communications, and decision-making will be at a premium.

A few people are blessed with a built-in GPS mechanism and always makes the correct turn and ends up where they intended. They are our role models and heroes. We all know people like this. For some of us, it's our mums or dads. For others, it's a partner (the proverbial "better half"). For others (like me) it's a success coach or a mentor.

Let me share something that is true. I am not one of those blessed with an internal compass. It's not that I don't know who I am or where I am going or what I want to achieve. Not is it that I don't have an adequate sense of self-worth. What's wrong is that I have no idea how my behaviour is coming across to the people who matter my boss, colleagues, subordinates and customers.

Character doesn't come from going to a seminar or reading a book. While those things can help, character is formed by continued hard work and intentional effort. I want desperately to be a man of high moral and character.

If you're like me, we need honest, helpful feedback. Feedback tells us what to change, not how to do it. And when we know what to change, we're ready to start changing ourselves and how people perceive us.

You know the old saying: to err is human, to forgive divine. When you make a mistake, give the people you work with a shot at divinity. Admit your error. Own up. Then propose a course to correct the mistake. Never use your authority to mask your mistakes. Admit them. Apologize for them.

If it isn't obvious by now, I regard apologizing  as the most healing, restorative gesture human beings can make. Admitting you were wrong is tough for some people to do - but brilliant for those who can. Express your regret, offer no excuses, take full responsibility. Once you admit an error, look to the future. What have you learned? How will you keep this from happening again? Reflect, learn and adjust your behaviour.

In fact, great leaders know that when you are willing to admit your own mistakes and genuinely listen to critical feedback - without rationalizing, justifying or placing blame - you get to turn these moments into learning opportunities for yourself and "teachable moments" for your team. You create a more open and collaborative culture among your team members - without the pressure and fear of anyone pretending to know it all. This kind of authenticity and transparency ultimately gives others permission to be open about their weaknesses and fears too.

We can't undo our errors, but we can learn from them. If we don't learn, the lessons get harder. Regretting our mistakes is not the same as learning the lesson. We are not here to be perfect, but to live and learn, to fall and to rise again - to evolve and strive toward our highest potential. May this painful experience become a blessing that transforms your life.