Amazing Things Will Happen: A Real-World Guide on Achieving Success and Happiness

Chapter 18

Be a Duck

It doesn’t matter what industry you work in, where you live in the world, or how positive your outlook on life is. The fact of the matter is that there are going to be days, events, and people who are going to drive you nuts.

We’ve all had that boss, teacher, friend, acquaintance, or partner who drives us crazy. No matter how hard we work, it’s never enough. No matter how many good ideas we present, they are never quite enough or aren’t good enough. These situations can be an energy drain and motivation killer.

There are people in our lives who, no matter how much we love them, act in ways that upset us. Maybe you have one of those people in your life who is a constant doubter. Or a pessimist who constantly sees the world as never getting better.

Since we can’t get rid of them, we’ve got to learn to live with them.

You’ve got to accept that none of those people are going to change. They are not going to go away either.

The way you are going to survive this is by being a duck.

Ever watch ducks in a pond? They swim around without a care in the world. Have you noticed what they do when it starts raining? Most ducks will keep on swimming; they are already in the water after all. They keep on swimming as if nothing has changed.

This is what I mean when I tell you to be a duck.

When the bad situations arise and you want to scream or give up, you have to be like those ducks and let the problems roll off you like water. Ducks can’t do anything about the rain that falls, ...