A defining moment could be described as a time in life in which we let our lives be defined in an instant, in other words what is happening at that moment sums up our life. Pretty heavy shit if I do say so myself. I have had the pleasure of experiencing several of these in my personal life, from meeting my wife, to getting married, to watching the birth of all my children. To be able to bottle up the emotions that coursed through my veins at that moment would go a long way in defining who I am and what my purpose in life is. Of course, these defining moments have been positive for me, but I have had some “negative” defining moments as well. From loosing my best friend as a teenager to my parents divorcing when I was seven, they were defining moments in my life that could molded me into something completely different had I let them remain negative. Instead of letting those moments define me in a negative light, I chose to treat them as an opportunity to better myself, and as a result of those “negative” defining moments, I am a better person.

Much like individuals, companies / organizations / teams, also have defining moments. Sometimes those defining moments test the boundaries of what you (the company / organization / team) believe to be what you are really about. Defining moments are not always positive, but I believe they all present opportunities. In other words, there may be a point in time where you company is in a downward spiral. You have taken ungodly amounts of money from investors, your product had been delayed, you were not received as well as you thought and you have not idea what to do next. This is a defining moment, your backs are up against the ropes and you either a) throw in the towel or b) come off the ropes with guns a blazing and take control of the situation and redefine yourself as a winner.

Not everyday to you have a defining moment, but when you do, take hold of it and remember why it is defining you and strive to make the best of it, no matter how it originally defined you.