3 Tips to Help You Grow Through Adversity
Image by: Annie Spratt on Unsplash
As a small child, school didn’t always come easy to me. I remember looking at my peers and feeling so jealous of the kids who never needed to study, yet always seemed to get good grades. I, on the other hand, would have to work my butt off, yet I still faced countless challenges. I didn’t understand this at the time, but what this did was it gave me the tools I needed to have persistence, perseverance and resilience.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
We are all unique individuals with our own strengths and weaknesses. What comes easily to some may be incredibly challenging to others. What I’ve realized over the years is that the ability to understand something immediately shouldn’t be the baseline of someone’s intelligence, nor an indicator of success. In fact, the ability to continue pursuing your goals, dreams, and aspirations, despite the struggles that may occur along the way, is the true mark of success.
As much as we may wish to live in a world where everything runs smoothly and everything comes easily to use, that unfortunately just isn’t the case. Sooner or later, we all are met with adversity. The goal then becomes to develop a strong work ethic that can carry you through tough times. The ability to understand your own needs and limitations, to seek out help willingly when needed, and to continue to believe in yourself along the way. This isn’t always easy – it takes determination, strength, and courage. But I wholeheartedly believe that it’s the foundation for success, so let’s talk about it.
3 Tips to Help you Grow Through Adversity
1. REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE PATHS TO SUCCESS
We can easily get caught up in this notion that we need to follow one particular path to be successful in life, but that’s just not the case. There’s no timeline nor single journey that acts as the be-all-end-all. Some may achieve their dreams in 2 years others may take 10. Some may breeze through school others may require extra help. Neither journey is less important – it’s simply different. Leverage your own path as your own unique opportunity. Be grateful when things come easy to you, and be proud of yourself for working hard when they don’t. Trust that it’ll all work out in the end.
2. SEEK OUT HELP
There are experts all around who can help you, you just need to look. If you’re struggling with understanding math the way your teacher teaches it, find a tutor who can explain it differently for you. If you are struggling to untangle the thoughts in your head, find a therapist who can help you understand them. If you’re not sure where to go next, find a life coach who can help you make a plan. Use adversity as a reminder that you do not need to do this on your own.
3. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
Life won’t always be easy. Things can come up that make even the tasks that once were the simplest feel challenging. As much as it may be tempting to dream of a life where everything functions with ease, it’s not necessarily the reality. Instead, make it your goal to believe in yourself. Believe you can climb any mountain ahead. Believe you can overcome any obstacle in your way. Believe you can work through adversity. Believe that you can do it.