Crisis: Where Danger Meets With Opportunity

In Chinese, the word crisis stands for weiji, often which has been said to be composed of the characters for “danger” and “opportunity.” That’s why in the popular Chinese culture, a crisis is regarded not merely as a danger but also as an opportunity (some arguments are there).

If you’re looking for an example, I’d suggest to read about C. J. Walker, the woman who was the first born-free member of a slave-family.

At the age of 20, when she was widowed, she started working as a laundress for as little as a dollar and half a day. And most of her earnings were used to educate her daughter. She could save very little for herself—so little that she couldn’t even able to wash her hair daily. As a result, she suffered from severe scalp disease that caused her to go nearly bald.

Rather than making this crisis as a danger, she made it an opportunity. With an innovative idea of hair care products to stop hair loss, she launched her own line of beauty and hair care products.

Within a very short time, her products became so popular that she was flooded with the order and cemented her name in the history being a millionaire.

Yes, C.J. Walker, the first woman self-accomplished millionaire who didn’t cry in crisis rather made it an opportunity.

I got my start by giving myself a start.

C.J. Walker