Tag Archives: overcome

Moving On

Adversity stems from the adjective adverse. When things occur that upset you,  either potentially or actually, leading to a  harmful and unfavorable impact.

The difficulties or misfortune you experience are typically not planned (who plans for adversity to occur) and usually are things that were either accidents (e.g. car accident) or events out of your control (e.g., an injury to a loved one).

Remain Calm

During the second world war as part of preparations for a potential invasion, the English government began preparations for a media campaign focused on maintaining the morale of the populous.

The famous slogan, which has been widely transformed into a variety of current popular inspirational messages, was “Keep calm and carry on”

The simple point was anxiety, panic, and despair or even deep sadness have little effect in times of adversity.  By focusing on the mundane and the normal, it is possible to adapt to the adverse circumstances.

Carry On

The remain calm portion of the slogan does not refer to ignoring or pretending the difficult circumstances do not exist.  Rather the intent of the slogan is to encourage focusing on the things you can control (i.e., carry on)

These ongoing actions could well include proactive measures to resolve the adverse situation or just personal protective measure to minimize personal harm.

The key is not to react in a way that does more damage than repair.  The grieve you feel should not be hidden away to eat at your insides and ultimately paralyze you but it should be acknowledged.

Figure out how to deal with the adverse conditions in the best way possible, recognize perseverance is of great value and believe that ultimately the misfortune will be overcome.

ResiliencE

Some times life is tough, things can be difficult.  We each have an enate capacity to overcome, that is take the hard stuff in stride and deal with it.

Resilience is about resolving your problems without them actually becoming a significant problem, that is follow these simple steps, accept, plan action, take action, no problem.  Perhaps slightly easier to write than execute.

The key concept is a belief that no problem, no obstacle is insurmountable.   This does begin with understanding and acceptance.

Identification

The first step to acknowledging a problem or obstacle exists goes beyond, well beyond, the initial discovery or realization something is up.

For ease I will outline this identification process with a relatively simple example, the process can apply to all problems but admittedly some cases are much more difficult.

Driving to work, your car suddenly becomes hard to steer and the ride is bumpy.  Your intial reaction is “flat tire” coupled with I will be late for work.  I am not dressed to change a tire. 

Other cars are getting impatient because I have stopped in the road way.  Emotions flood in, anger, fear, frustration.  Stop, think.  First what is the problem, cast aside the other thoughts for a moment.  Focus on the fact it is simply a flat tire.

Consider Options

What should I do with the car, leave in the road or pull over.  What are the consequences of each action and what makes most sense?

How do I deal with the flat, fix it myself, hire someone and if so what are the logistics.

These are just some of the rational ideas you can come up with to develop a resolution plan.  The key here is don’t let the obstacle or problem own you, you can own it.