Originally published in Entrepreneur

By Tim Schigel

My wife and I like to joke about 2017 being our “year of trials.”

We had downsized the prior year as we were becoming empty-nesters, and went through months of stressful renovations on our new place as a result. By January, our newly updated home had been broken into, suffered a ruptured sewer pipe and revealed a leaky basement. Add to this the fun of having our rental car broken into twice while on a trip to San Francisco that summer and my wife being diagnosed with early stage breast cancer right before the end of the year.

All we could do was try to keep everything in perspective.

My kids are healthy, all starting great careers, and my wife’s breast cancer was easily treatable and her prognosis right now is excellent. Success in everything depends on your perspective: Are you going to power through and overcome your challenges, or let them snow you under?

There’s an adage in rock climbing called the “three-foot world,” in which climbers focus not on the massive rock wall they’re attempting to climb, but the problems that are immediately in front of them. Once those are completed, they can move their attention on to the next three-foot section of the wall. This mindset has helped climbers reach the top of sheer cliffs. And it’s helped me both in business and in life.

Read the full article at https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/317307

Tim Schigel is a Founding Partner of Refinery Ventures.