We all go through difficult times. The ups and downs of every day are part of life’s design. But what if you’re in an overwhelming crisis and don’t how to turn things around? How do you make it through to the other side?
During those tough times, you might think it’s pure optimism that gets you through. But James Stockdale disagrees. He saw firsthand that blind optimism is your downfall.
Instead of falling into the optimism trap, he invented a concept based on his life experience—the Stockdale Paradox.
Like any paradox, the Stockdale Paradox includes two ideas that seem to oppose each other. But, in reality, the two ideas work together, allowing you to emerge successfully on the other side of a crisis.
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Defining the Stockdale Paradox
The Stockdale Paradox is the process of accepting the unfortunate situation you find yourself while also fully believing that you’ll get through it.
But how is that different from pure optimism?
Optimism is blind faith that the situation will end while ignoring your bad circumstance. In other words, you live for the better times. But when those better times take a while to happen, you lose faith and don’t know how to deal with today’s troubles.
You’re stuck believing the times will end while ignoring your current position. That can set you up for powerless disappointment or worse—hopelessness.
The Stockdale Paradox allows you to take power in the present with the knowledge that you will eventually succeed. It’s the idea that you can embrace optimism and realism at the same time.
Where Did the Stockdale Paradox Originate?
Military Admiral Jim Stockdale coined the term The Stockdale Paradox. He was a POW for eight years while serving in the Vietnam War. While held captive, he knew he would either escape or see liberation when the war ended, but he didn’t deny his imprisonment or the daily torture he faced.
Instead of solely counting on the end of his torturous ordeal, he accepted his current reality and kept his faith for rescue at the same time. That led to the birth of the Stockdale Paradox.
He noticed other POWs held in the camp who also believed they would someday be free. They held onto the belief that their rescue would come in a certain timeframe: Christmas, Easter, etc. They all lived for those dates.
They were in denial of their current ordeal, only holding onto their hope for freedom. The problem was when that freedom didn’t come, they were still in prison, and it broke their spirits.
Stockdale watched as man after man died from this way of thinking, so he chose a different path and it saved his life.
After his liberation, he shared the Stockdale Paradox with the world through Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great. Here’s a YouTube video about how to use the Stockdale Paradox during uncertain times by Jim Collins.
How to Practice Stockdale Paradox Principles
When you’re in the throes of torment or misfortune, it’s easy to just white knuckle your way through the pain and wait for it to pass. But what happens when that pain or bad time extends past your expectation? You can’t power through bad times indefinitely.
And even if you do make it through to see better times, what did you learn from the experience if you didn’t really experience it?
On the other hand, if you accept the bad times and confront them head-on while keeping the faith that you will win eventually, you come out stronger on the other side. Persevere through the bad times by creating small goals to help you endure and, possibly, turn your situation around.
Applying the Stockdale Paradox is straightforward but challenging; look at and accept your current reality and believe it will end at the same time. Accepting your current reality can help you make the best of it and endure the pain while taking an active role in ending your adverse situation.
It’s a perfect balance of faith and reality.
Applying the Stockdale Paradox to Your Life and Business
You can apply the Stockdale Paradox to every aspect of your life, including your business. Using this school of thought could be the difference between success and failure.
Let’s face it; you are going to have difficult times in your life on a personal level and probably at a business level, too. Wouldn’t it be great to get through those experiences tackling your problems instead of denying their existence?
Luckily, Admiral Stockdale left a legacy to help you in times of need.
You can take four simultaneous steps to apply the Stockdale Paradox to your life and your business when you’re facing difficulty. Whether you’re having problems in your personal life or professional life, the process is the same.
Facing Reality
The first step to experiencing the Stockdale Paradox is to face your problems. Look at your current situation and write down every issue you’re facing. Getting everything out of your head and compiling it in one place is the best way to accept reality.
There it is in black and white. Seeing your problems not only helps you face them but can spark ideas about how to navigate them and turn your situation around. Once you do that, dealing with your reality and making it to the other side is much more likely.
Have Faith
When you’re facing the reality of your situation, whatever that may be, you must keep the faith that you will prevail on the other side.
Only having hope that bad times will end isn’t enough. You have to believe that you will make it through the ordeal whole-heartedly. Maybe you’ll come up with a solution to your problem, or perhaps the tides will turn, and you will experience better times.
No matter how these bad times end, you must have faith that they will.
Extinguishing Today’s Fires
However, the Stockdale Paradox is more than just simultaneously accepting reality and keeping your faith. The paradox allows you to take a hard look at your problems and see solutions you might otherwise miss.
The key is taking action.
Taking an active role while going through tough times helps you keep the faith that you’ll make it through. So, take an honest look at the issues you’re facing. What can you do to turn your situation around?
Coming up with solutions and implementing them will empower you during difficult times.
If you don’t have the solutions, look around you. Ask your trusted family, friends, and associates for ideas. Brainstorming with a trusted circle of people is an excellent way of finding paths out of the darkness and bringing about positive change.
Planning for the Future
Holding onto the belief that you’ll get through hard times is easier to do if you have a plan for when you get there. While you’re problem-solving the issues of today, create a plan for better times that lie ahead. Doing so will strengthen your faith that you’ll make it through.
And once you make it to the other side of your problem or conflict, look back at the lessons you’ve learned. You’ll find that those struggles included a valuable learning process.
Standing the Test of Time
The next time you find yourself in a difficult situation personally or professionally, think of Admiral Stockdale. Accept your reality, as he did, and have absolute faith that you’ll see better times. Actively seek solutions from within your mind and experience as well as trusted individuals in your personal life or business.
By taking an active role in moving through your pain, you’ll feel empowered to get through the troubled times and emerge on the other side with lessons you can use. The next time you face problems, the Stockdale Paradox won’t be just a concept you have to apply, but your automatic mindset.
