You only have one life to live!

“Good Times; Bad Times; You know I had my share...”

Led Zeppelin 1968

The above line from Led Zeppelin was written by the famous rockers 42 years ago and yet, it still has meaning today. I am a fan of Led Zeppelin partly because of my age and my love of screaming guitars, but chiefly because of the depth of wisdom contained in many of their lyrics. Think about the line again, “Good Times; Bad Times; You know I had my share.” Who can say otherwise? Who can say that every day of their life contained nothing but joy, achievement and love, all wrapped up in one big package of goodness. Of course, no one can say that because everyone experiences some darkness in their life from time to time. It is how we deal with the bad times that matters.

If you want success, you must always look forward and you must live your life as though the bad times have very little meaning for you. Set-backs are not permanent road blocks...they are merely reminders that nothing in life comes easily and that every worthwhile endeavour contains an element of risk with no shortage of obstacles. If you anticipate challenges before they occur, your path will be much easier to follow. When faced with a stumbling block, go ahead and stumble or even fall...and then get up, dust yourself off and try again. Sometimes you must adjust your method of approach, but if you constantly keep the end goal in mind, your path will be true and your success will be assured.

People who face obstacles as complete barriers to success will almost always fail. Their lack of determination and courage will hold them back interminably. Projects will never be done well (or done at all) and sadly, those people who dwell on bad times will never be happy. Great leaders and successful people in all areas of human endeavour focus on the good times. They focus on the fact that a positive attitude coupled with a big dose of endurance, patience and persistence will carry them to great heights. They know too, that the world is watching. The world loves people who persevere; the world loves people with chutzpah and the world loves people who move past the bad times as if they never occurred.

In the Led Zeppelin song, lead singer, Robert Plant’s voice trails off into a searing, Jimmy Page guitar riff as he sings, “Well, I still don’t seem to care...” The lyrics of this song are, (perhaps inadvertently) an anthem for leadership. They represent the best of what great leaders carry with them every day. Leaders do not care about bad times, they do not dwell on minor failures, they do not complain about setbacks, and they do not blame others for their own limitations or failings. Real leaders smile at setbacks and laugh out loud as they sail over hurdles. For them all times are good...bad times are only for those who accept and embrace failure or adversity as an excuse or a reason to quit.

The next time you are ready to quit because the challenges seem too great, think about the words to this great rock and roll song and remember that the good times in your life always outnumber the bad.

Life is for living and with good health a life is a century or so of good times to be had. You only have one life to live, so why not make it a good one?

All the Best

Wayne Kehl