You've heard the adage, "Don't get mad; get even"? haven't you?

Well, let's do better than that, shall we?

One of the best aspects of being in business for a couple of decades is that you see things from a broader perspective than the novice.

You realize the wisdom in a line I first heard from my professor, the famous management guru, Peter F. Drucker:

"We don't solve many of life's problems; we outlive them!"?

And there are fewer things as sweet as encountering an adversary in business, someone who turns into an apparently unstoppable nemesis, whose reign of terror, or incompetence, you survive.

For example, I was trying to earn the service training business of a client that was already using me for its telemarketing training. My contact was impressed with another firm, one that had a big reputation and he elected to use them, instead.

I asked him why, and he echoed what they told him: "If you got hit by a truck, we'd be out of luck"? because at that time, I operated solo. It was a stupid reason to select them, one that was an actually insurable and manageable risk.

Anyway, fast-forward a few years, and my client was sold to a larger competitor, so in the corporate sense, it died" ?eaten by a predator. The manager lost his position.

Soon after that, the very company that I lost out to hired me to train its field sales force and to install a large telemarketing unit. That contract was huge, from the standpoint of dollars and prestige.

I guess it was Yogi Berra who said never give up because "It ain't over 'till it's over."?

Remember this when you are rejected or mistreated by someone in business. And silently comfort yourself with the line:

"No problem; I'll deal with your replacement!"?