“Problems are opportunities in work clothes”. Henry J Kaiser, American industrialist

“I proceed with a courageous and honest analysis of the situation. Then I determine what the worst consequences of my failure could be. After imagining the most disastrous consequences that could result, I resign myself to accept them in case it becomes necessary. From that moment on, I concentrate all my time and energy to looking for ways that could alleviate the consequences which, mentally, I have already accepted”. Dale Carnegie, American orator

Problems: You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. For some they represent a challenge, something from which to learn. For others problems are the beginning of the end, a reason to ‘down tools’ for the day. This is what distinguishes winners from losers, business successes from failures.

Positive thinkers act in a similar way to Carnegie, namely recognising that a problem exists, understanding the possible consequences, anticipating the worst possible scenario, and formulating their objectives on this.

Recognising That a Problem Exists

All problems share one characteristic. All are deviations from the norm. For example, where your average/anticipated sales during a given period are