Nick Powills: Adversity Always Comes On The Rise

You may not be able to see it when you’re in it, but adversity always comes on the rise – including with those New Year’s resolutions you created.

Think about your commitment to work out more. Sure, the initial success is addictive. You hit the gym more and check off a few weeks of success. You are rising. But then adversity hits – you come head-to-head with a donut, or you tell yourself, “I can certainly skip one day.”

That adversity helps you determine what happens next. This is what separates the good from the great.

You eat that donut. But instead of getting depressed, you work out for the second time that day. You feel better and you continue your rise.

Sports are a great category to look to when it comes to dealing with adversity. Games and seasons are long, and injuries, upsets and momentum shifts are all a part of the game. But, it is the response that ends up determining what happens next, whether momentum can be gained and the ultimate evaluation of success, whether winning a game or winning it all.

Businesses go through this day in and day out. Bumps in sales processes, turnover, and unexpected outcomes will affect the rise. But again, if you are focused on taking two steps forward after taking one step back, that mindset will help you battle through those high-intensity moments of adversity.

We go through this in life, too, whether through death, divorce, debt—I’m sure I could probably come up with some more d-words—but it’s our response that defines us. It is what helps us create our grit.

So, what are you going to do? Skip the gym or eat that donut? What would your year look like if you didn’t commit to the resolution, but committed to finding a solution to each problem and difficulty you’ll face on your rise this year? Would that create more happiness? Would you take the losses as learning moments?

Certainly something to think about.