Thoughts on adversity . . . “The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.” Elisabeth Kübler-Ross I was watching the Miss USA beauty pageant last night and was also preoccupied with thoughts about adversity. I really don’t understand why suddenly my thoughts were centered on that subject. One I was thinking about a friend whose son just passed away and she has been on the depths of despair, grieving. And the other logical thing was was the fact that I unearthed from my archive an article I wrote 5 years ago about my niece who just arrived from the Philippines and underwent life and death surgery with no hope to live. Miracle happened, her life was saved but because of the magnitude of her illness her right hand fingers were amputated to cut the spread of gangrene. Yes, my niece with the rest of her family were petitioned by her sister not necessarily for a better future on their own. Both husband and wife had a successful career back home and the only logical sense was about the future of their 3 children. They made the decision to take an optional retirement. They came here to open up a promising future for their 3 children. Now all three kids are success story themselves, they all finished their 4 year degree, and gainfully employed as nurses at Napa Valley Hospital. The middle one just got married recently to a Psychiatrist whom she met in the hospital she works for. That was just one story of a family who never gave up while in the depths adversity, it’s their prayer and faith in God that brought them out of despair. What is adversity? Here is a simple definition: 1) “Misfortune: hardship and suffering 2) Adverse happening: an extremely unfavorable experience or event synonyms: hardship, difficulty, danger,misfortune, harsh conditions, hard times Be inspired with the essay below, and as I say here it when faced with adversity, are you bitter or better? “There are those who experience adversity and become bitter as a result. Then there are others who face similar adversity and become better as a result. Bitterness is usually a very understandable response, yet it’s never an effective response. It serves primarily to prolong and even expand the pain. The positive, life-affirming response is not to become bitter, but rather to find a way to become better. The surest way out of adversity is to use that adversity as an opportunity for becoming stronger, more positively focused and more effective. When you’ve been hurt, you have every right to feel bitter. You also have every right, and every reason, to move quickly away from that bitterness. If you feel you’re becoming bitter, use that as a cue to instead become better. Bitterness cannot ease the pain. Choose to grow stronger, and even adversity will have a positive purpose.” Theres light in the darkness . . . Each difficult moment has the potential to open my eyes and open my heart. Myla Kabat-Zinn “Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher. When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.” Barbara Rose “No matter what difficulty you are facing, it is coming from Divine Light to bring you to a higher place within. Write down every conceivable reason that this situation can contribute towards your growth. Write down every way this experience can possibly set the stage for serving to uplift others. When you are complete, and have come to the other side of this experience, you will then know why it happened.” Barbara Rose “The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one’s life.” Dalai Lama Here is to share an article how to overcome adversity . . . If you want to survive and be a success, you have to fight like a dog in our modern society. Whether it is owning your own business or office politics, you inevitably will face adversity. Sometimes, it seems as though we move from one crisis to another day after day, week after week and so on. Frankly, it can wear you down and make life less than exhilarating. Sometimes it is important to just step back and contemplate the true reason for living and the role adversity plays in it. Here are some interesting quotes from historical figures that may turn the trick for you. 1. We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams. Les Brown 2. Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. Albert Einstein 3. A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner. unknown 4. Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now, in this instant of time. From this moment onward you can be an entirely different person, filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand, uplifted and positive in every thought and deed. Eileen Caddy 5. Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be overcome first. Unknown 6. In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. Theodore Roosevelt 7. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt 8. Adversity is the diamond dust that heaven polishes its jewels with. Leighton 9. It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt 10. The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. Friedrich Nietzsche Bottom line . . . “Remind thyself, in the darkest moments, that every failure is only a step toward success, every detection of what is false directs you toward what is true, every trial exhausts some tempting form of error, and every adversity will only hide, for a time, your path to peace and fulfillment. ” Og Mandino “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” Robert Jordan “I’ve learned that everything happens for a reason,” the yogi Krishnan told him. “Every event has a why and all adversity teaches us a lesson... Never regret your past. Accept it as the teacher that it is.” Robin S. Sharma “To live greatly, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility.” Thomas S. Monson, Peace! Joegar
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 18:06:45 +0000
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