I had an opportunity to speak to a bunch of business students at BYU-I last week, and it was a great experience.   I had an opportunity to share with them what I think is the most important message we can share right now:  that is, that this is not a time for gloom and doom.  It is a time of re-defining how we do business.  It is a time of increased fiscal responsibility.  It’s is a time of improved customer service.  It is a time of changing the “rules of engagement” as we compete in the market place.  But it is certainly not a time of gloom and doom.

There are opportunities out there right now that only come along during a crisis like this.  And obviously, there are some of the old opportunities that have disappeared.  That’s okay.  Instead of saying, “Everything’s changed.  I can’t compete.”  You should be saying, “Everything’s changed.  What do I need to do to continue to compete.”

Just the fact that you’re willing to adapt predicts your survival during these difficult times.  Every bit as much as the fact that others doggedly stick to the ways of the past ensures their demise.  This is a time for creativity.  It is a time for enthusiasm.  It is a time for excitement.  Fortunes are not made and lost during the boom times, they’re made and lost during the busts.  You have an opportunity here that may never come again (at least not to this degree) in your lifetime.   Time’s a wasting.   Grab hold of the brass ring and start to swing.