How to Turn Adversity Into an Opportunity

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Sir Winston Churchill

What do you do when things go wrong – do you throw up your hands and blame every one else – God, friends, your neighbors, parents, your dog, luck, or whoever comes to your mind? Or, do you take up the responsibility, persevere and fight for your dreams? Successful leaders see adversity as a challenge, renew their commitment and start all over again, turning the obstacles into an opportunity. They do not merely survive the adversity, they thrive in it, like the kites that soar against the wind.

Here’s a story that drives in this lesson.

A farmer had a mule in his farm. The mule was an adventurous one; so one night, he set about exploring the farm and accidentally fell into a little-used, deep well. He brayed so loud that his master came out. Discouraged by the formidable job of rescuing the heavy animal from the well, the farmer braced himself to let the animal die. It occurred to him, however, that he’d be forced to listen all night to the irksome noise his mule would make, so he decided to fill up the well and shut up the mule. When the first load of mud fell on the mule, the mule simply shook and cleared himself of the mud and continued to bray. The irritated farmer kept shoveling the mud, and the mule came up higher and higher, standing tall on the shovelled mud and in no time, much to farmer’s surprise, he jumped out safe.

From adversity comes strength.

If you run away from adversity and use drugs, alcohol, relationships, work, sex or eating, you are using adversity as an excuse, not as an opportunity. If you face adversity squarely in the eyes, you gain courage, endurance and coping skills to face the adversities in life.

Real life examples: Aimee Mullins and Sudha Chandran

American actress, athlete and model, Aimee Mullins was born with no fibula bones and had her legs amputated below the knees when she just a year old. With her prosthetic legs, Aimee Mullins took part in a race against able bodied athletes and participated in Paralympics in 1964.

In the following video Aimee tells of a study from the 1960s in which students were labeled as successes or failures. The intent was to measure the impact of perceptions of ability on student performance. The students were presented to Teachers with reversed labels and the teachers set their expectations from students accordingly. Over the course of the study, students with high expectations met them, and students with low expectations performed true to the expectation set on them.

Sudha Chandran is an Indian actress and dancer, who lost one of her legs in an accident when she was 16. Like Aimee, Sudha Chandran too never let her physical conditions dilute her ambitions. Mayuri is a film based on her life story in which she has acted as the protagonist.

It is not what happens to you that matters, it is how you react to it and what you do with it that matters. And you can turn every setback into a training tool.

Read Also

Brooklyn Bridge: A Saga of Determination

Setting and Achieving Goals

Time Management: How to Delegate Work

The Power of Forgiveness: Part 1

How To Practice Forgiveness: Part 2

Why Do We Get Angry?

Anger Management: Some Suggestions

Innovation Strategies: Part 1