Advance To The Rear

A famous general was once asked the secret of his phenomenal success in battle. He replied, "I never retreated." After a pause, his interviewer commented that this was difficult to believe. "Oh, I sometimes had to 'advance to the rear,' but I never ordered a retreat," the general explained. Then his point became clear: Victory frequently depends upon refusing to accept the possibility of defeat. It matters what you say—and even what you think—about your life. Hopelessness, fed by negative attitudes and ideas, often becomes a self-fulfilling condition.