Tips For Overcoming Adversity
We will all face some sort of adversity many times in our lives. Sometimes it will be minor, other times it will be more serious. It may be an unavoidable part of life, however, there are certain things that can be done to make these testing times easier.
It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you are rich or poor, famous and powerful or the happiest person in the world. None of us are exempt from suffering pain and facing adversity.
The good that comes from facing adversity?
It may not seem like it at the time but facing adversity can make us better and stronger, it can allow us to better deal with future problems and adversity. “That which does not kill you makes you stronger” Nietzsche, this is true, most of the time anyway.
Tips for overcoming adversity
Adversity is a part of life, it’s inevitable for everyone. Once we accept it, it takes away some of the power and control it has over us.
Compare your adversity to those who face more severe adversity. Adversity comes in different levels of seriousness. If you compare your problems with those who suffer with more extreme adversity, it may help to see your own issues in a less serious light. All you have to do is turn on the TV and watch the news to find some stories about people that are facing greater problems.
Tell your close friends and family about your issues, there is a very good chance that they have been through a similar situation. They may be able to support you, and give you advice on how they dealt with their adversity.
Learn from and read about other people that have overcome adversity. It can be helpful and comforting to know you are not alone in your challenges, and that others are facing and have overcome similar life challenges.
Famous people that have overcome adversity
J.K. Rowling
After her failed married she lived on government benefits for 5 years while she was writing Harry Potter. When she did finish Harry Potter, it was rejected by the first 12 publishing houses it was submitted to. It wasn’t until a year later that things actually started to look promising for her writing.
Bill Gates
His first attempt at business failed badly. Not only was nobody interested in his product, it didn’t even work properly. Despite his failure he didn’t stop, and he claims he learned a great deal from it, which helped make his future products a success.
Oprah Winfrey
At 14 and pregnant she ran away from a father and cousins that abused her. Soon after running away, she gave birth to a baby boy, it died shortly after.
Despite her past, she is now one of the richest and most successful people on the planet.
Stephen King
His first book Carrie was rejected nearly 30 times by publishing houses. He was ready to give up. It was his wife that persuaded him to continue. Today he has sold more than 300 million books.
In time we become more resilient to adversity. This resilience allows us to cope better with the challenges that are yet to come.
In fact, thank goodness for adversity! Learning to deal with and overcoming adversity is what builds character and resilience . Every challenge and every difficulty we successfully confront in life serves to strengthen our will, confidence and ability to conquer future obstacles. Herodotus, the Greek philosopher, said, “Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have lain dormant in its absence.”
Yes, very true. Adversity helps us to reach our potential, it’s often an important ingredient to success in many areas of life.