Charles Dickens, in his A Tale of Two Cities, expresses the contrasts of life. He wrote: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way."

When one is privileged to live a long time, one sees life for what it is. Life can be simultaneously "the best of times" and "the worst of times". Life is a curious balance of opposites - bitter and sweet, night and day, feast and famine, health and sickness, success and failure, life and death.

There is no way to pass through life without your share of problems. You and I will always have problems, and the sooner we accept that fact, the better prepared we will be not only to face our challenges, but to grow through them, and by them.

Direction of the wind

The interesting thing about life's problems is that they are like the wind that blows. The same wind that blows a ship to the north can also take another ship the south. It is the set of the sail that matters, not the direction of the wind. The set of the sail speaks to attitude, your attitude to what happens to you in life. The real issue of life is not what happens to you, for many things that happen to you cannot be controlled by you. It is how you react to what happens to you that is really important.

Take, for example, Jamaica's experience in the 1970s. This country experienced a number of challenges in its economy at that time. Real estate values fell precipitously as people sold their houses and emigrated out of fear. People with cash bought Cherry Gardens mansions for pennies on the dollar. Today, these houses are worth tens of millions.

While the hotel/tourist industry was languishing, a young salesman of appliances named Butch Stewart saw an opportunity where others saw none. Butch started to purchase these near-abandoned hotel properties in the early 1980s. The same wind that drove many to migrate from Jamaica into the 'greener grass' of North America (and into hardship and marginalisation for many) blew Butch into wealth and riches.

Life of Jamaica is the child of the growing nationalism of the 1960s. Another young salesman, R. Danny Williams, envisioned a dream he was determined to fulfil. He wanted to create a local insurance industry in which Jamaicans would be employed, an industry that would invest in Jamaica and enhance the development of our country. He started Life of Jamaica from scratch.

Fortune evaporated

Life of Jamaica went on to make a fortune for Danny Williams, but trouble came. During the financial meltdown of the 1990s, Danny Williams watched helplessly as his fortune was evaporating before his eyes. He lost a staggering amount of 90 per cent of the value of his shares - an experience that would have caused some men to jump out of a tall building. But Williams continued to believe in his dream. He never gave up. Life of Jamaica was reorganised and today stands like a colossus with assets running into the billions. What if he had given up?

You, too, might be facing your own problems, for you too will experience life as "the best of times, the worst of times." How you conduct yourself during the worst of times speaks volumes about your character. You can be a better person, a wiser investor, a stronger individual because of the worst of times.

Tony Williamson is an international motivational speaker, sales trainer, author and lifestyle consultant. Email tony williamson_57@yahoo.com.