“You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity” -Epicurus
What do all human beings have in common?
We are all faced with the challenges and struggles that life brings. At the age of 18, I was sexually molested by an older man. During this time in my life, I became depressed, lost weight, and became very distorted about my reality. The day I came back home to my parents, I was standing at a cross road. I had the option of either allowing this man and situation to negatively affect the rest of my life or to view this adversity as a learning experience and make the necessary changes in my life. The decision was clear. I made the mental commitment that this adversity is a learning experience and I will overcome this challenge. This was the beginning of my personal transformation. I told the universe that I will become a stronger and wiser woman because of this experience. I envisioned a life and marriage that would be truly worth living for.
A Blessing in disguise
After 5 years of intense personal development and soul searching, I am now living the life that I envisioned for myself having 5 years ago. I am married to the man of my dreams and I help inspire and motivate others to overcome adversity and design a life that is truly worth living for. What would have happened if I took the path of being negatively affected by my adversity? I would still be living in my past and allowing this adversity to control every aspect of my life. Because I made the mental commitment to view my adversity as a learning experience and envisioned the life I wanted, I was able to overcome this traumatic situation and move forward to designing my future. I look back in my life and I can say that my adversity has been a blessing in disguise. It has allowed me take a real good look at my life and make the necessary changes. Without this, I would have never gone down the path of personal development and self healing.
Where are you heading?
This question above is what I’d like to ask you. Do you know which direction in life you are heading? You have the option of either heading forward or heading backwards. No matter what type of adversity you have experienced or are experiencing, you have the ability to create that which you desire to exist.
Your mind is the most powerful influence in how you live your life. You can either have a negative perspective or a positive perspective. With the struggles and challenges that life brings, it’s easy to get into a rut of negative thinking. This negative way of thinking will influence how you view yourself and the way you live your life. In contrast, when you decide to make the necessary changes in your life, you start heading in the direction of reaching your fullest potential.
Change is necessary for growth and development
Making changes in your life can be scary, especially when you’ve been accustomed to a certain way of living. But if you are serious about overcoming adversity rather than just surviving with adversity, you must make the necessary changes in order for you to grow, develop and design the life you desire to exist.
Change after experiencing adversity is possible. It’s all depends on your perspective and the vision that you want to design into reality. Make the mental commitment of viewing your adversity as a learning experience and start envisioning the life you want to create.
Take Action:
Below are steps to overcome adversity, gain the wisdom to move forward and design your future:
-
Commit to viewing your adversity as a learning experience
-
Write down your own personal mission statement. This statement focuses on the person that you want to become and the values that you want to live by every single day. (Make sure this statement is both in positive and present terms). Start off by writing, “I am”
-
Print out your mission statement and make sure you say it every morning and every evening
-
Model those that are already where you want to be
-
Surround yourself by positive people
-
Read a personal development at least 30 minutes a day
-
Instead of listening to the radio, listen to an audio program whenever you are in the car
These simple yet empowering steps will help you make the transition from feeling stuck with your adversity to making the necessary changes and living a life truly worth living for.
Related Articles
Tiffany Mason
Latest posts by Tiffany Mason (see all)
- Lauren’s Story - March 17, 2014
- Adversity is a Blessing in Disguise - February 11, 2014
- Don’t Go Without Your Life Map - January 2, 2014