We live in a world that is fast evolving. The changes are rapid, and we are caught in the web of shifting grounds, tagging along or even going with the tides.
One thing that has remained constant in a changing world is ADVERSITY. The bold letters are written for the sake of emphasis. Yes!
ADVERSITY is not peculiar to anyone. In fact, it is the common denominator we all face as humans. It is usually not palatable or desirable, yet it is a viable tool that can launch one into greatness.
When I hear the mantra “small girl with a big God,” I shudder! And the reason is simple. Even God hardly gives out booties on a platter of gold. He is too integrity driven to hand out such largesse without making beneficiaries pass through the crucibles.
Adversity should not make one cringe. Difficulties and unpleasant situations are interface to greatness.
May your road be rough, was a mantra I learned, and accepted early in life. Smooth roads may be dangerous and accident prone, metaphorically. You learn to drive better, with caution and precision on a rough road. This is indisputably so.
If you read the biographies and autobiographies of renowned people, one thing cuts across their experiences and outcomes. They confronted seemingly insurmountable adversities and crushed them. The more the adversities, the more outstanding the outcomes.
Adversities, therefore, could be seen as the layers of hardship, turn offs, low drives, doubts, discouragement, and cannot perceptions we pass through while undertaking a task or project.
My medical doctor friend once told me of her ordeal while preparing for the dreaded MBBS examination years back. For clarity, the MBBS examination is the qualifying examination medical students write to qualify as licensed medical practitioners.
Prospective candidates become squeamish not because they are not prepared but because the examination, I gather could be very comprehensive and tricky.
Well, my friend told me of how she spent sleepless nights studying and doing all within her power to pass. She was naturally brilliant, but she knew she needed more than her intelligence. She added hard work, research, brainstorming, and role playing. She confessed to me that, as the examination day approached, she intensified effort. Alas, the short time before examination, was when she got almost distracted and was tempted to sleep more, engage in idle chats, and loaf around. It was surreal, and she couldn’t explain where the apathy was coming from.
Thankfully, she snapped out and redirected her track. She wrote the examination and the rest they say is history. She overcame adversity.
You can not overcome adversity if you give up at the brink of your journey. You need to follow through. The injury time in soccer is a determinant of the team that wins. Adversities have injurious moments. Do not be swayed !
Overcoming adversities could be tough. It requires a willpower and a level of discipline that is beyond average. You need to aim high to overcome it. When the wind is boisterous, the pilot flies over the wind. Not below or by the side of the wind. The same goes for adversities. You need to fly higher.
Here are a few useful tips to overcome adversities. Consider it common. Do not fret! Fear will make you weak, so jettison fear. No adversity is new or non existent. It has happened to someone before. Hence, no big deal.
Again, be willing to tackle adversities headlong. Confront it to surmount it. Be intentional! Fertilise ideas to break even. Your thoughts are potent. Keep thinking about how to solve it and take tangible actions. Rome was not be built in a day. However, the construction of the great city started in a day. Do something progressively, to overcome adversities.
Stay on it and be on top of it. Soon it would fissle. If you do, you’ll realise one day, it’s all gone.
Lest I forgot, I really liked someone’s definition of ADVERSITY. He said “it is God’s own University, where he trains his own”. This should give you an insight that, adversity isn’t bad as it is a training ground. And we all need to get trained so as not to get grounded. Keep welcoming adversities to launch you into a better phase in life.
Ebunoluwa Ibibo
@ Golden muse ✨️
