It seemed everyone in the store knew the carpenter. As they walked around, one person after another either waved or stopped to say hello to him.

“How you doing, J.?”

“What’s going on, J.?”

“How’s business, J.?”

“What’s your latest project, J.?”

The carpenter waved and said hello to each person and stopped to talk to those who wanted to talk to him. Michael felt like he was walking around with the mayor of home improvement. It seemed everybody loved J. and he loved everybody.

As they drove back to the house, Michael asked, “How do you know all those people?”

“Oh, they were either clients or people I’ve worked with on various jobs. When you work as long as I have and do as many jobs as I do, you meet a lot of people.”

“Meeting a lot of people and having them actually like you and want to spend time with you is another matter altogether,” said Michael. “You obviously have a great reputation in the industry. I can see how being a craftsman draws people to you.”

“Well, it’s more than being a craftsman that draws people to you,” said the carpenter. “While I am respected in my industry and stand out from those who merely do work instead of creating art, it is also essential to have the right attitude and approach to your life and work. When you see the good, look for the good, and expect the good, you find the good and the good finds you.”

“How so?” asked Michael, who didn’t think he was attracting a lot of good lately.

“I don’t know how it works exactly,” the carpenter said. “I just know that what you think, you become. I know that how you see the world determines the world you see and how the world sees you. I know your perspective can take a bad situation and turn into a great outcome. I know a positive attitude not only draws people to you, but it also gives you power to overcome all the obstacles you will face as you build your success.”

“I feel like I’m getting hit with one challenge after another lately,” said Michael as they pulled up to his driveway and brought the wood, tools, and materials into the house.

“Yes, you are certainly hitting a rough patch but you’re not alone. Anyone who attempts to build great things will face challenges. It’s part of the building process. Without struggle there’s no reward. Without obstacles there’s no growth. Without setbacks there’s no triumph. Without failure and defeat along the way there’s no ultimate victory and feeling of accomplishment. As a builder of lives and people and teams, you must expect challenges, adversity, rejection, and negativity but have an even greater expectation that you will overcome them.”

“I haven’t been feeling that way,” said Michael. “I guess I’ve never been in a situation like this before. I used to feel like I was unstoppable. No one had more optimism than me. It’s why I wanted to start the business with Sarah. Come on, how many people think they can start a business from nothing and feel like they can make it a household brand? But now I feel like I’m going to be stuck in this house forever. I feel like I’ve let my wife and family and company down. I’m losing the battle.”

“I see it differently,” said the carpenter. “I see you resting and learning. I see you getting stronger. I see you preparing for greater things so you can take your life and business to a higher level. Always remember that our biggest battle comes before our greatest victory. And I see great victories in your future.”

“I wish I saw what you saw,” said Michael, appreciating the encouragement.

“You can! You can choose to see it. You can choose to believe it. Life and success are about what you choose to believe. It’s easy to believe things will be great when everything is going well, but the true test of your faith is what you believe when you are facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. The late and great Nelson Mandela said it best:

I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward.

There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.

“And before there was Nelson Mandela there was the greatest carpenter the world has ever known, who said:

“Anything is possible if a person believes.”