人生不設限·把檸檬變成檸檬汁

愛因斯坦說過，每個難題之中都存在著機會。最近的經濟衰退已經讓好幾百萬人失業(yè)，不計其數的人沒了房子和積蓄。在如此困難的日子里，能有什么好事呢?

Albert Einstein said that in the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. The recent recession has left millions of people unemployed. Countless others have lost their homes and their savings. What good can come of hard times?

目前臺面上一些知名企業(yè)都是在經濟蕭條和衰退時期起家的，例如惠普、箭牌口香糖、UPS、微軟、賽門鐵克(Symantec)、玩具反斗城、Zippo打火機和達美樂比薩等。這些企業(yè)的創(chuàng)辦人都在尋找更新、更好的方式來服務顧客，因為在整個大環(huán)境不好的時候，過去的經營模式根本不管用。而他們抓住了時機，創(chuàng)造出自己的做生意方式。

Among the major brand companies that started up during recessions and depressions are Hewlett Packard, Wrigley, UPS, Microsoft, Symantec, Toys "R" Us, Zippo, and Domino's Pizza. The founders of these companies were looking for new and better ways to serve customers because previous models had failed during downturns. They seized the moment to create their own vision for doing business.

2006年到2009年的經濟衰退，無疑對許多個人、家庭和企業(yè)都造成深遠的影響。很多人被公司開除或解雇，但他們的回應方式卻是去創(chuàng)業(yè)、重返校園進修，或者終于開始追求自己真正熱衷的事物，例如開個小小的烘焙坊、開園藝公司、組樂團，或是寫一本書。

Without a doubt, the recession of 2006–9 had a profound and lingering impact that hurt many, many families and businesses. But many of the people cast out by corporations and longtime employers responded by starting their own businesses, going back to school for advanced degrees, or finally pursuing their passion in life, whether it was opening a bakery, starting a gardening service, forming a band, or writing a book.

在這次經濟衰退中失業(yè)的人，有數以千計是新聞工作者。當過記者的人對于自己的足智多謀和創(chuàng)意都很自豪，所以觀察他們如何回應自己失業(yè)的事實很有意思。我認識的幾個記者就進入新的職場，如公關公司、非營利組織、網絡媒體和博客。其中我最喜歡的故事是，有一位因為公司業(yè)務量萎縮而離開加州某報的記者，后來成為一家頗受歡迎的危機管理公司的副總裁，這家公司專門替衰退的企業(yè)精心打造“破產溝通”的方法。這是“把檸檬變成檸檬汁”的哲學，也就是把焦點從發(fā)牢騷轉到想辦法。你要有彈性、要意志堅定，并且準備好將負面的局勢轉為正面。美國一家大型連鎖零售商就是這么做的，他們教銷售人員要把客戶投訴視為改善與顧客關系，讓他們成為老主顧的機會。

Among those laid off or terminated in the recession were thousands and thousands of journalists. The downturn hit their industry especially hard because it occurred just as newspapers around the world were losing their lucrative classified ad business to online services like craigslist. It's been interesting to see how former journalists, who pride themselves on their resourcefulness and creativity, have responded. Several I know have launched new careers in public relations, nonprofit ventures, and Web-based media and blogs. One of my favorites is the former editor who left his shrinking California newspaper and became vice president of a booming crisis-management company that crafts "bankruptcy communications" for other businesses in decline. This is the Taking Lemons and Making Lemonade philosophy, which is really all about shifting your focus from moaning about the problem to finding a creative solution. You have to be flexible, determined, and ready to turn a potentially negative situation into a positive situation. One of the big American retail chains teaches its sales staff to view customer complaints as invitations for building better relationships with store patrons.

關鍵在于用不同的眼光看待你面臨的事。每次我的計劃碰上意想不到的障礙時，我都會提醒自己：“上帝不會浪費他的時間，所以他也不會浪費我的時間。”換句話說，無論面臨什么狀況，最后一定會是好事一樁。我真的這樣相信，希望你也是。一旦你相信這個哲學，就往后站一步，靜觀其變吧，我已經一次又一次地看到事情的確是如此發(fā)展的。

It's a matter of reframing. I do it whenever my schedule hits a snag by reminding myself that "God does not waste His time, so He doesn't waste mine either." In other words, it all works out for the good. I truly believe that, and you should too. When you buy into that philosophy, stand back. I've seen it proven true time and time again.