As we go through life, it can be very easy to question why certain situations happen to us, or even more specifically, we may ask ourselves “Why me?”
While I don’t claim to have all of the answers, I think a quote by Zig Ziglar seems to address this perfectly…and it’s simply this:
“Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to be successful” —Zig Ziglar
If you think about it, nothing seems to grow without some resistance applied to it first. Very often, it’s the adversity in our lives that cause us to stretch out of our comfort zones and forces us to look for new ways of coping. If you are facing financial issues, it’s a perfect opportunity to ask how to either cut debt or make more money. If you are facing relationship issues, it may be a great opportunity to discover why you respond the way you do, or why the other person responds the way they do.
In many cases, those who faced obstacles and didn’t give up went on to achieve their greatest success shortly thereafter:
—Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, then worked very hard at his craft and earned a scholarship to play from North Carolina before winning 6 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.
–Abraham Lincoln unsuccessfully ran for public office many times before finally becoming President of the United States.
–Oprah Winfrey endured a rough and often abusive childhood, and then she faced numerous career setbacks including being fired from her first job because she was unfit for TV. We all know what she has achieved since!
–Dr. Seuss had his first book rejected by 27 publishers before achieving his dream.
Here is something else to think about: At times, the thing that we are destined to do is something we haven’t even tried yet. All of the examples I cited above are people who at one point hadn’t even tried the thing where they experienced their ultimate success. We have to be willing to fail before we succeed. That may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s true. We don’t appreciate what we have unless we experienced the hardships that preceding them.
In a nutshell, no matter what the adversity is, the level of thinking that got us there will not be the level of thinking that will solve the issue. Anything worth having will not always be easy, but remember one very important thing—don’t give up!
Brian K Wright is the host of Success Profiles Radio airing each Monday at 6pm Eastern on the Rockstar Radio Network. The show is consistently ranked on the “What’s Hot on iTunes Top 120 List” in Careers and Self Help. To learn more about the show, or to listen to podcasts of previous episodes, go to www.successprofilesradio.com
