It would be impossible not to be impacted by recent scenes of the destruction caused by the hurricane that battered the Bahamas and by the tragedies of mass shootings at several locations here in the United States.

Yet, it’s also possible to become a bit – for lack of a better word – calloused by all this coverage, as well. If it’s sunny where you live – as it was for us in Las Vegas – a weather disaster plays out somewhat like a scene in an action movie. While our hearts hurt for those who have been victims of madmen, we can too easily assume a similar fate won’t befall us.

I know – I used to be exactly that way, myself. Tragedy was something that happened to someone else, someplace else. Until it wasn’t.

In the past dozen years, I’ve dealt (and am dealing) with everything from the death of a spouse to the betrayal of trust from a friend and business associate; from a family member addicted to heroin and the cycle of rehab, theft, and the associated drama to financial challenges from the myriad of health care issues in our family.

And, I would wager that your plate has been pretty full, as well.

I bring all of this up for two important points:

• First: it can happen to you, it’s not always someone else.

True in life – and just as factual in business. I’ve heard a CEO complain about horrific customer experiences as he did business – even as he is leading an organization that does not deliver for their own clients. This “it’s them, not me” attitude is pervasive and destructive.

We each must look in the mirror, as the cliché goes, and realize that what we may be criticizing in others could be what is wrong in our place, as well.

That’s not an easy task – however, it is a foundation of growth.

And, when we realize that it can happen to us, it’s also the first step towards the preparation that can negate or prevent lasting damage. If you realize, for example, that colon cancer could happen to you – and not just others – you get a colonoscopy as a preventative, preparatory measure. If you realize that a competitor might attract your current customers, you try harder to innovate and less to wring every cent out of your current line of products. 

Jeff Bezos said that at some point in the future, even Amazon will be disrupted…and his job is to prevent that from happening for as long as possible. Wise people – and organizations – realize that challenges can happen anywhere, anytime…so, they prepare.

• Second: how you respond to your challenges reveals your character.

We’ve all heard the old saw, “It’s not what happens to you; it’s how you respond to what happens to you.” This has become an oft-repeated cliché (is there any other kind?) for one simple reason: it is true.

None of us can control what happens to us. All we possess is the ability to take charge of our response to a given situation. That is remarkably easy for me to sit here and write – and, as I can tell you from experience, significantly more difficult to do.

However, what’s the alternative? Days of despair and despondency? I will pass on that…

Whether we are talking about your business life or your personal one, understand that challenges can and do happen to people just like you and me. In fact, they probably will happen at some point in our lives…

When you realize that it can, you can begin to prepare. And, you can control your response when it happens.

Young Elias failed at many things: school, military service, entrepreneurship, and more. He was described as painfully shy and insecure. After a breakdown, he decided, yes, failure had happened to him and that he was the only one who could control his response. So, he started another company, trying one more time to be successful.

Elias did pretty well with his next endeavor. Because Elias was his father’s given name, too, he preferred to go by “Walt.”

Walt Disney.

Perhaps you can follow a similar path to distinction…