If like me you are a sports fan then you will probably have watched some of the great tennis at Wimbledon over the past two weeks. When I was younger I played in the finals at my local tennis club near Worcester. It was some time ago and I was playing with a wooden Dunlop Maxply Fort racket. Some of you may remember these sorts of rackets which were the forerunner of steel and now various combinations of graphite. I see some are now sold as vintage rackets and fetch £100 plus on eBay. I should have kept mine! Anyway, I was knocking up with a friend when I broke a string in my racket: this was a huge setback because I did not have a spare racket – unlike the Wimbledon players who have at least six, and can even get them repaired during a match. I played on - and despite, maybe even because of, this handicap won the men’s singles, beating the club favourite and then teaming up with him to win the doubles. If anything, the broken string motivated me and removed any nerves because I just had to get on and adjust my game accordingly.
Overcoming adversity is a trait we need in our professional lives because inevitably we will encounter unexpected difficult times and problems in our personal and working lives. It is how we deal with these rather than the fact that they occur which really matters. See this good article When adversity strikes proposing adopting a positive mindset and suggesting strategies for dealing with crises including:
“Ultimately, without adversity, there are no opportunities for growth or building resilience. Adversity teaches us about ourselves, about being uncomfortable, and how to endure. Without it, we may never discover our inner strength. In the wise words of Buddha: "Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes."”
See this Forbes article 11 Ways To Turn Adversity Into Opportunity which starts with a great quote “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” by the Japanese novelist Kenji Miyazawa and goes onto suggest “ways to turn adversity into opportunity” including Embrace it, Practice self-compassion and Make humour your ally.
See also this good article Learn how to Overcome Adversity – How to Build Resilience and Overcome `Anythingwhich commences:
“Anyone who has ever achieved something worthwhile has had challenges and setbacks – because anything that is worth doing is going to be difficult. Overcoming adversity is a necessary step on the road to greatness.
Philosopher Edmund Burke said, “He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” Life is the worthy opponent – the antagonist – we all need to grow. When you have the right tools to overcome adversity, you embrace the situation as a helper, rather than letting it stop you from achieving your goals and reaching your dreams.”
It then sets out ten ways to deal with such difficulties including
There are also many examples to follow such as Helen Keller who became a successful writer despite being blind and deaf and JK Rowling who was a struggling single mother before publishing Harry Potter – see this blog 17 Best Adversity Examples. Indeed, the Harry Potter book was amazingly rejected by 12 different publishing houses. Even the Beatles were turned down by four respected recording companies –that really was a mistake!
John McEnroe said “What is the single most important quality of a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well.”
While Roger Federer commented “I’ve faced many adversities: playing with injuries and while hurt, sick, jet–lagged. But I see these adversities as a great challenge and feel that it is a privilege to be in this position.”
As it says over the gates to Centre Court at Wimbledon in Rudyard Kipling’s immortal words “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.”
Overcoming adversity is a trait we need in our professional lives because inevitably we will encounter unexpected difficult times and problems in our personal and working lives. It is how we deal with these rather than the fact that they occur which really matters. See this good article When adversity strikes proposing adopting a positive mindset and suggesting strategies for dealing with crises including:
- Stop making excuses - Elaborate excuses and denial are two common responses to failure.
- Write - Sometimes it's freeing to write your thoughts down on paper.
- Let each success energise you - No matter how big or how small, celebrate your accomplishments.
“Ultimately, without adversity, there are no opportunities for growth or building resilience. Adversity teaches us about ourselves, about being uncomfortable, and how to endure. Without it, we may never discover our inner strength. In the wise words of Buddha: "Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes."”
See this Forbes article 11 Ways To Turn Adversity Into Opportunity which starts with a great quote “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” by the Japanese novelist Kenji Miyazawa and goes onto suggest “ways to turn adversity into opportunity” including Embrace it, Practice self-compassion and Make humour your ally.
See also this good article Learn how to Overcome Adversity – How to Build Resilience and Overcome `Anythingwhich commences:
“Anyone who has ever achieved something worthwhile has had challenges and setbacks – because anything that is worth doing is going to be difficult. Overcoming adversity is a necessary step on the road to greatness.
Philosopher Edmund Burke said, “He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper.” Life is the worthy opponent – the antagonist – we all need to grow. When you have the right tools to overcome adversity, you embrace the situation as a helper, rather than letting it stop you from achieving your goals and reaching your dreams.”
It then sets out ten ways to deal with such difficulties including
- Be Prepared - Working on overcoming adversity happens before the tough situation even happens.
- Practice Positivity - Take a step back and reframe the problem in a positive way.
- Find the Lesson - Realizing that life happens for you, not to you, is key to overcoming adversity. Every event in your life can teach you something.
There are also many examples to follow such as Helen Keller who became a successful writer despite being blind and deaf and JK Rowling who was a struggling single mother before publishing Harry Potter – see this blog 17 Best Adversity Examples. Indeed, the Harry Potter book was amazingly rejected by 12 different publishing houses. Even the Beatles were turned down by four respected recording companies –that really was a mistake!
John McEnroe said “What is the single most important quality of a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well.”
While Roger Federer commented “I’ve faced many adversities: playing with injuries and while hurt, sick, jet–lagged. But I see these adversities as a great challenge and feel that it is a privilege to be in this position.”
As it says over the gates to Centre Court at Wimbledon in Rudyard Kipling’s immortal words “If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same.”
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