How Adversity will Either Make or Break You.

Adversity. Love it or hate it, it is a part of life. Those who have achieved high levels of success and influence will tell you is that the greater the adversities one has faced, the greater the victory they had.
Champions are not made on game day. They are made years before, through preparation, practice, many failures, heartaches, and adversities. When one sees a champion crowned, all they see is the winning performance of that day. What you do not see however, is what it took for them to get there. One may sit back and say “That guy is so lucky,” or “They just had everything handed to them.” That is far from the truth, for they have put blood, sweat, and tears to make it to that point.
Life will happen no matter what, and guess what? LIFE IS NOT FAIR. A series of events may occur to you and you might say “why is this happening to me?” or “I can’t believe this person double-crossed me.” Here’s a tip, no matter how bad the situation looks… “what does not kill you, only makes you stronger.” Also remember, that with no pain, there is NO GAIN. You will look back on the situation down the road with 20/20 hindsight and realize that what happened has helped shape you into a better person. If you have the right ATTITUDE, it will make all the difference.
Adversity will only break you if your attitude and self image are low. It is natural to occasionally doubt yourself and your abilities. When adversity rears its ugly head, you might ask yourself “Do I deserve this?,” or say to yourself “Maybe I do deserve this..” The truth is, NO, you don’t deserve it, and being a human, you are capable of overcoming and recovering from even what seems at the time an impossible obstacle to get over. Do this. Think back to some challenges you’ve had in the past, and make a quick list of some of the major ones you’ve dealt with in the past 3-5 years. Then next to them, write how you overcame them and what you’ve learned as a result. Also, make a list off the top of your head of some of the victories you’ve had in your life, such as a job you landed, a promotion you received, an award you won, or even a successful relationship/marriage. You will see the parallel to how your failures had much to do with you having those victories.
I credit a friend of mine for once saying “when someone is backed into a corner, that’s when you find out what they’re really made of.”
Adversity. Love it or hate it. But choose to love it.