Adversity: How Quickly Do You Bounce Back?

What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger! You've probably had someone attempt to cheer you up with this platitude at some time when you were feeling disappointed, hurt, frustrated or downright rejected. But do tough times really make you stronger?

Yes, they can ... depending upon how you manage your thinking. You won't get stronger if you choose the victim path and blame others/something else for your circumstances (the weather, the government, the other person). Choosing the victim path weakens you.

Want to know the extent of your personal growth? A sure sign is how quickly you bounce back from adversity. A person with limited personal growth can allow a flat battery in their car to ruin their entire day. By investing the time and effort to grow and develop your emotional, spiritual and mental fitness you bounce back in a quick space of time - no matter the challenge you are faced with.

An example of a person's personal growth
helping them to bounce back quickly

Recently a client had a major project unravel (one he'd been working on for several months). If he had been successful in bringing it together it would have brought in additional revenues of many millions of dollars to his organization.

Unfortunately a totally unexpected event caused the entire project to fall to pieces. He reflected upon how a couple of years ago this 'disaster' would have set him upon a path of self-destruction: binge-drinking, drugs and over-eating. However, because of the personal transformation he has undergone in the past year or two he had a day or so of feeling upset and bewildered, but kept reminding himself, that there is a life lesson and gift in this situation. His mantra became "Hold my centered-space and learn from this so I empower myself even more".

Instead of immersing himself in alcohol, drugs and food (for possibly many months if past history was any indicator) to avoid and hide from the pain of disappointment, he focused on what he could do differently next time.

Within the space of a week he had developed a number of new strategies and even found a way of resurrecting the project so that it could still achieve many of the original goals. This very power-filled client has indeed become stronger, because now he choses the path of strength, courage and wisdom.

Yes, adversity can make you stronger, when you listen to your heart, stay in your power center and make the choice to grow from it.

Over the next couple of weeks monitor how quickly you bounce back - from either the small stuff or the big stuff. For example, do you let someone who is rude to you blow your whole day or do you brush it aside and stay within your own power center? If you discover that small events have a major impact on your day, then maybe it is time for you to up your personal growth.

Find a mentor, read books, listen to tapes, use the ABCDE Model. The only way to make yourself stronger is to have the tools that enable you to learn from life situations and unleash all the potential that resides within you.

Go to the Articles Directory from Adversity

How Quickly Do You Bounce Back From Adversity?

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