Chest pain. Shortness of breath. Pulse racing. Confusion. Fear.........
At first you ignore the warnings - then it becomes clear......
Heart attack!
First there is panic.
Then the emergency medical response.
Then the emergency surgery.
Then recovery and rehabilitation.
Now you have a choice to make: Survive or Thrive.
You can simply survive - and go back to living the way you did before the attack. You can be careful and cautious and conservative and just hope that it doesn't happen again.
Or you can make the choice to see the experience as a second chance at living - a chance to enhance your life - an opportunity to do things, see things and become things you had never thought possible.
Survive or thrive? It's your choice.
The world's economy has had a heart attack.
We ignored the early warning signs (bank profit warnings, business failures).
We witnessed the major economies of the world suffer the attack and we saw the initial panic (stock market collapse, banking system collapse).
We have seen the emergency medical response (interest rate cuts, economic stimulus packages).
We watched the emergency surgery (economic system re-structuring).
And then we saw the beginnings of the recovery process (changes in the regulatory framework and financial system infrastructure).
And just like a heart attack survivor (or "thrivor"), business now has a choice to make.
You can become careful, cautious and conservative. You can be inactive and take things slowly - waiting to see what others will do.
Or you can learn from the experience. You can learn...and lead: lead yourself, your team, your business and even your industry from recession to recovery and on into resounding, sustainable success.
The old "system" will not save us from this current worldwide financial crisis - don't forget it was the old attitudes, old policies, old thinking and old leadership styles that got us in to this mess.
Nor will a set of legislation, new corporate rules or re-hashed bunch of international financial market regulations.
No one is going to come and turn it all around and make it so that the flowers bloom brighter, the sun shines shinier and air smells cleaner.
The only person who can - and will change it for you - is you!
The challenge for all of us is to think globally but act locally.
That is - be aware of what's happening around the world but control the controllables - act to be the best you can be each day. Control your own reactions to what's happening, manage your own behaviour, drive your own attitudes and change what you need to change in your own life and in your own workplace.
Don't wait for the world to turn around and for new ideas, innovations and inventions to filter down to you - change your own world and inspire change in the people and places around you.
Set high standards in all that you do. Be the industry standard. Set the industry lead.
Someone has to - why not you? Why can't you be the best in the world? Why can't you be the best in Great Britain? Or Singapore? Or Australia? Or the US? You can.
Turn this around. Challenge each person to be the best they can be in all things every day and to take up the challenge to become THE industry leader in what they do.
Rapidly changing times means there is opportunity for someone in the insurance industry and the car industry and health care industry and manufacturing industry and every industry to become the world leader in the business as it moves forward - why can't it be you and the people you work with?
Survive or thrive? It's your choice.
Experience the Moregold difference.
Wayne Goldsmith