Adversity comes. And bad things DO happen to good people. But adversity isn’t completely negative, it also challenges our understanding of who we are and how we resolve less than positive situations. Sometimes adversity comes through our own actions or lack of action, sometimes it comes ‘accidentally’, sometimes by another’s design. To assume we can go through life without adversity seems ludicrous.
The real issue is that regardless of the source of the adversity… it comes. So, how do we respond to adversity? Do we point the finger at another saying it’s their fault? Do we blame? Do we wallow? Whatever our response, we can’t allow ourselves to linger in negative reactions. What we eventually have to do is to start again. But… before we move on, it’s important to learn from the situation so we don’t repeat it when we are the source.
One of the questions is: are we our own best enemy? If we are the source of our own adversity, how can we stop shooting ourselves in the foot? How do we learn from the situation rather than repeating it? It has always been my contention that those who refuse to learn from what’s happening, both good and bad, are condemned to repeat it. Not so bad if the situation is good, disastrous if it is bad.
If the source of the adversity is from an outside source, then in some respects there is less personal emotion involved which aids in the ‘recovery’. However, analysis is still the order of the day – what did we do, if anything, about the coming adversity – did we contribute to the problem? If not, then were there clues we could have seen that would have lessened the problem? Regardless, how can we best mitigate against repetition?
As I have said – adversity comes. You can’t expect to go through life without being subjected to it. The only real issue is what we do when we find ourselves in these situations. Reacting from an emotional basis is rarely affective. Don’t deny the emotion but don’t let it rule. And you? Do you meet the adversity head on or let your feelings dictate?
