Wrestling Gorillas and Winning!

“You always can do more than you think you can do.”
Rick Pitino

“When wrestling a gorilla, you don’t quit when you’re tired—you quit when the gorilla is tired.”
Robert Strauss

With our economy struggling, employment soaring, our society standards lowering and homes deteriorating, one common theme in all of our lives is that we are facing a lot of adversity. And dealing with adversity often feels like we are wrestling gorillas with no end in site or hope of coming out on top. Indeed, it seems everywhere we turn these days there are new challenges, trials, and difficulties even in places that used to be safe such as home or school. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) none of us are immune to it or can escape it as we all will have to overcome adversity to be successful in life. And, truth be told, some of us will capitalize on it and become better and stronger, while others flounder in despair. Below are some suggestions on how to come out on top when faced with adversity.

Attitude

Attitude is everything when it comes to overcoming challenges. If we can maintain a positive attitude in the face of difficulties, we can accomplish just about anything. Knowing that we have the power to control our attitude regardless of what happens in life is a powerful tool that if applied, will guide us to success. Learning to accept the fact that things can and will go wrong with a positive attitude will propel us to greater heights and happiness.

Action

Sure, things will go wrong in our life, but this does not mean we should wait for something to go wrong before we take action. Actually, knowing things will go wrong should motivate us to take action now toward achieving our goals. And then, when things do not go as planned, as we know they won’t, it is important to take action to overcome challenges rather than wallowing in despair or being afraid to continue.

Do Good

One way to avoid feelings of despair and depression when adversity strikes is by constantly being engaged in a good cause. When we help others by giving meaningful service on a consistent basis, our challenges and problems dwindle and become small. Being involved in something greater than ourselves has an amazing way of helping us overcome our own personal trials and tragedies.

Knowledge

Understanding and accepting that hard times come to everyone and that the only way to be successful in life is by facing adversity head on is knowledge that is priceless. This life is temporary, we all know that, and understanding that adversity is simply an unavoidable part of life will help us to feel more at peace when life’s challenges hit us—and often unexpectedly. Knowing and internalizing this will help us to cope and overcome.

Perseverance

Finally, perseverance is key. When we feel as though we cannot possible take any more, undoubtedly, more comes. Being able to always bounce back and never giving up will become critical to our success. We cannot be overcome by adversity if we never give up.

Times are tough and will probably continue to be so and that is just life. Those who are successful in life will be those who learn to overcome adversity and then use it to their advantage. We can all start today to master our adversity by remembering to monitor and control our attitude, by taking action, by doing good, by gaining knowledge, and by persevering. Success is not always simply about how much we accomplish, but more often it is about how much we are able to overcome. Let’s start using adversity to our advantage!