Overcoming Adversity: We ALL Have To Do It

Posted by: Barry Overstreet

Adversity. Everyone faces it. Some deal with more than others, but everybody runs into it. And since we all face it, we all have to overcome it. It probably won’t be easy, and may actually be rather painful, but it’s still a battle you have to fight. Recently I discussed how I believe that perseverance is the king of leadership traits, but this is such an important topic that I feel compelled to cover it from a little different angle.

Overcoming Adversity

It’s amazing how often life will absolutely kick you in the teeth. Things will be rolling along smoothly and then…BAM! Something happens that totally rocks your world. And in the aftermath, you’re left wondering, “How did that happen? How can I fix this mess? How can I possibly get past this?” Ultimately, you have only two choices. You can lie there helpless, blaming everyone else, being overtaken by the circumstances, and letting the finicky winds of life push you around. Or, you can GET UP! You can get back into the fight. Push past the obstacle, fix whatever can be fixed, learn whatever lessons you can take away from the ordeal, and then move on. It most certainly won’t be easy, and will probably hurt to do. But those are your two choices. Period.

But here’s the deal. EVERYONE who has ever reached any real measurable level of success has faced adversity that they’ve had to overcome to achieve their success. Leadership demands it. But, it doesn’t matter what challenges you have faced in the past, or are currently facing, there are numerous examples of successful people who have overcome those very same obstacles and gone on to greatness. Bankruptcy, check. Wrecked family lives and marriages, check. Lost millions and even billions of dollars in fortune, check. Death of a key family member or mentor, check. Lost job or business, check. The list goes on and on. And I’m not saying that it won’t take some time to process what happened and move on. Some pain runs so deep that it takes time to just deal with that pain and move past it. But, no matter what struggle you may be facing, take strength in knowing that others have come before you and have not only survived, but succeeded greatly. You can too so long as you simply choose to get back up one more time and get back into the fight. It really is that simple. It’s not easy, but it’s simple.

The choice is yours and yours alone to make. You can let life keep you from your potential greatness, or you can choose to get up, get back into the game, and push forward allowing all the adversity you’ve face to mold you into the shining star you’re meant to be. Your choice. Choose wisely.

I want to leave you with a couple of videos that I think provide a perfect example of just what I’m talking about. But, before I do that, if you like what you’ve read, please comment below to let me know and share this post on Facebook and Twitter so that others may benefit also. Thanks.

The first video is of Heather Dorniden in the 2008 Big Ten Women’s 600m championship. She was running in front of her hometown crowd. I’ll let the video tell the rest of the story…

The second video is from the 1992 Olympics. The race is the Men’s 400m finals……

These videos are powerful! I hope you enjoyed them. Until next time….

10
NOV

Categories: Attitude, Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success

Tags: attitude, inspiration, Leadership, Leadership Qualities, Leadership Traits, motivation, success

About the Author:

Barry Overstreet is somebody who's struggled in the past to make money online, and he's finally started to figure it all out. He knows what it's like to be new in the industry and what it's like to struggle trying to figure out your unique selling proposition. He's here to help you get your USP figured out.

Discussion

10 Comments
10 Trackbacks

Gail Gardner November 11, 2011

Hi Barry,

I saw a comment by you in another blog so I thought I’d come by and say hello and invite you into a thriving DoFollow CommentLuv community. We welcome all other DoFollow CommentLuv bloggers to join us.
Gail Gardner recently posted..CommentLuv Premium Plugin Winner: Congratulations Jenny Barron @JennySweets_com
(reply)
- Barry Overstreet November 11, 2011
  
  Gail,
  
  Thanks for stopping by!! My little house is a work in-progress, but it’s fun work at least! Your readership and comments are valued. Have a great day!
  (reply)
Mark November 12, 2011

Another great tool in picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and continuing in the right direction is the social network which you hang with. We tend to become a product of our environment and if we aren’t careful, that product might not lead us into the mind set of working smart and get out of the valley and back to the mountain top, even though we learn how to deal with adversity while in the valley.
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- Barry Overstreet November 12, 2011
  
  Mark,
  
  You’ve hit the nail on the head here! We’re only going to be as good as those who we choose to associate with. Those people we choose to be around can either push us to higher achievements, or they can hold us back from ever reaching our full potential. That’s why it’s so very important to choose wisely!
  
  Thank you for taking the time to stop by and comment. Your readership and insight is much appreciated! Please stop back by again soon!
  
  ~Barry
  (reply)
Adrienne November 12, 2011

Hi Barry,

What a great message you’ve shared with us. One that’s been on my mind for sometime too.

I know that life gets in the way a lot of time and things don’t always go as smoothly as we had hoped. But life is a choice. We can choose to stay down and feel sorry for ourselves or we can choose to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. These are life lessons I’ve had to overcome in my life as well.

Both of these videos are the perfect example of what you’ve shared. Great choice to bring home the point so thank you for sharing them again. So very inspirational.

Appreciate the message.

~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted..How To Never Run Out Of Blog Post Ideas
(reply)
- Barry Overstreet November 12, 2011
  
  Hi Adrienne,
  
  Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I’m very humbled that one of the top bloggers on the internet would come by my little house and be moved enough by one of my messages to leave a comment.
  
  I, too, have experienced some of those tough lessons. It certainly wasn’t fun or what I pictured myself going through. But, it’s those lessons in life that prepare us for the greatness that we are meant to achieve. So, in the end, if they help us become more than what we are, all those lessons are worth it!
  
  I really, really liked both of those videos. I found them very moving. The second video actually brought tears to my eyes. I remember watching those Olympics live on TV and seeing that race, and that injury. I’ve played athletics all of my life, and know all too well the pain of torn muscles, especially a torn hamstring. To see the runner’s father come to his aid really got to me. I have a 10-year old son who is into playing all kinds of sports. I can only hope I have the opportunity to be by his side, pick him up, and dust him off whenever he falls in life!
  
  Thanks again for commenting. Please stop back by soon!
  
  ~Barry
  (reply)
Theresa Torres November 13, 2011

Hi Barry,
You’re right. The videos are very moving. The girl in the first video was amazing and the second video also brought tears to my eyes. I can imagine the pain the father shared with his son and I think that If I was there, I’ll also be cheering with the crowd.
Facing adversity is not easy but if we have friends and loved ones by our sides to support and encourage us, it becomes bearable and not the mountain that it appears to be.
Thank you for an inspiring post.
Theresa Torres recently posted..Small Business Owners: Creating Black Friday Success
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- Barry Overstreet November 13, 2011
  
  Hi Theresa,
  
  Thanks for stopping by! I felt like those videos just added an exclamation point to the whole post.
  
  Having a strong support network definitely makes it easier for us to overcome the times of struggle. It’s an added safety net that can definitely make things easier.
  
  Thanks for your readership and comments! Please stop back by soon!
  
  ~Barry
  (reply)
Barry Wells November 25, 2011

Hi Barry, I came over from Adrienne’s blog after seeing a comment you left there

You’ve really hit the nail on the head in this post. It’s so easy to fall over and stay there but getting up and getting the job done is what we should all aim for.

I know you said we have 2 choices when we fall over, but i always say we have 4. And it strange that you used athletes in your videos because my 4 choices also uses athletes, here they are.

Life is like an athletic track you get over one hurdle and along comes another. When we hit the hurdles (problems) we have 4 choices:

1, get over it
2, get through it
3, get around it
4, stay where you are and never move on.

Obviously we never want to stay where we are so we use option 1, 2, or 3. But whichever one you use will build your confidence and character so when you come to the next hurdle you’ll approach it in a positive way.

I’ve seen the bottom video before Barry and every time it brings a tear to my eye. that’s strength and determination

On another note Barry: I’m going to be interviewing Adrienne soon and wondered if you had any questions you’d like me to ask her? If you do please pop over to my blog post and leave a comment with your question. I’ve put the link in my commentluv link beneath the post.

Thanks Barry, I really enjoyed your post mate.

Take care, Barry
Barry Wells recently posted..I’m Going To Interview An Expert, Do YOU Have Any Questions You Need Answering?
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- Barry Overstreet November 25, 2011
  
  Barry,
  
  Thanks for taking a minute to stop by! I like your viewpoint. I think we both feel the same way about getting past adversity, your stance is just a little more specific.
  
  I love both of those videos. I find both of them extremely moving!
  
  I’ll definitely stop by and post a question or two. Thanks for the link.
  
  I appreciate you taking the time to check out my blog and leaving a comment. I hope you stop back by soon. Your readership is valued!
  
  Have a safe weekend!
  
  ~Barry
  (reply)