As Jonathan P. Rotich quotes; “If a rural girl from a little Kenyan hamlet can accomplish it, you can do it, too. Simply put, put forth more effort and courage today than you did yesterday.”
Imagine your manager just informed you that they do not believe you are ready to assume further leadership responsibilities. They do not think you are the proper fit for the position and don’t think you will be successful. What should you do in a difficult situation like this? Is it time to give up and concede defeat, or should you muster up the will to fight back and disprove them?
One constant in life is adversity; no matter which road you choose to take, you cannot avoid it. It sometimes seems like an uphill struggle that will never finish. However, you grow as a person and learn from those challenging moments. Consider the aforementioned illustration, people telling you that you are not good enough and having doubts about your skills is an opportunity for you to strive harder and be successful.
An excellent first step in facing difficulty is changing your perspective. It occurs when you convince yourself that you will face hardship head-on but triumph over it instead of crumbling. Similar to learning from mistakes, you will develop personally and motivate others to build resiliency if you choose to do so. Adversity is defined as a setback, challenging circumstance, or suffering. Several examples of adversity are as follows:
- Self-doubt
- Physical ailments or injuries
- Rejection\Poverty/discrimination/divorce
- Losing a close relative
- Struggling to be successful in the chosen career
The process of overcoming adversity is a process, despite the abundance of information we receive from self-help books, our role models, friends and family, the internet, motivational speakers, or other sources. Not every problem can be solved in an instant. Everyone is unique; coping methods for one person may not be effective for another. When bad luck strikes, as it will, you should keep a few things in mind.
How can one avoid mentioning Jerono Phylis Rotich when discussing resiliency? She is an ardent advocate for women, youth, health, and peace and an educator, scholar, inventor, life coach, and servant leader. She fiercely supports altering behavior, excellence, community involvement, and international collaboration. Through sharing her resilient life experience, Dr. Rotich motivates others. She believes you should keep a few things in mind when misfortune strikes, which it will at some point in your life. Get rid of your expectations as a first step. Your previous plans are no longer valid and will not be reinstated. Holding on to them will only hold you back from achieving your goals.
Additionally, you cannot assume that everything will go according to plan. Life is full of surprises, and occasionally those shocks are not good. Your current circumstance is evidence of that. But sometimes, you have no control over those undesirable events. Even if everything was planned out, things might still change. There are things you can’t control, and failures do occur. It’s alright. Despite the difficulty, accepting change is essential to overcoming hardship. It will support you as you grow personally and make you more resilient.
Although learning to overcome obstacles is not simple, you can improve and become the best version of yourself. When facing difficulties, you should develop an optimistic attitude like this. It does not help to have a self-pitying attitude or to refuse to go forward stubbornly. Failure and frustration will always lurk in the background, but despite their heavy, these challenging periods teach us important life lessons. These teachings cover persistence, adjusting to change, and optimism despite difficulties!