Trying to run or hide away from a problem only compounds the problem. The following tale demonstrates the point: Jimmy’s mother shouted up the stairs, “Come on, son, it’s time to get up and get ready for school.” But Jimmy pulled the duvet up over his head and ignored his mother’s calling. A few minutes later she knocked on his door and in a firmer voice she called out, “Come on. You’ve got to get up right now, otherwise you’ll be late!”

Jimmy replied from under the covers, “I’m not going to school. In fact, I’m never going again.”

“Don’t be silly,” said his mother, “You’ve got to go to school.”

“I’m NOT going!” was the response. “There are nearly a thousand kids in that school and they all hate me, every last one of them. Even the teachers and the caretaker hate me, and every day I end up in some sort of fight or conflict. So just give me one good reason why I should go.”

“I’ll do more than that,” said his mother. “I’ll give you two: “Firstly, because you are 42 years of age, and secondly, because you are the headmaster!”

Excerpt from Discover Your True Potential” by R. Ian Seymour