Phase 3: Adversity
Winning Life Olympian
"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is a strength."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
Better, Faster, Stronger
By training ourselves to become tough in the face of pain and discomfort, we can prepare to be resilient in times of struggle and chaos.
Pain is Necessary
Life has many ups and downs and if we want to succeed, we have to deal with difficulties. This means we have to be able to face them even when they are hard or scary. Having the courage to tackle troubles head-on is very helpful and shows our true strength of character. Letting setbacks get in the way of reaching our goals does not help us either. Instead, we need to look inside ourselves to grow stronger and not be afraid to move forward because of worries or discomfort in trying something different or facing obstacles that come up unexpectedly along pathway to our goals. Understanding this relationship between staying flexible and developing inner power will guide us onto a successful roadmap to acquiring our ambitions. With grit and determination, we can attain those goals and dream big – meaning we need to think beyond the obvious possibilities – because the journey itself will surprise and astound us in ways never imagined just by stepping into unknown territory.
We Prefer Comfort
As humans, we tend to gravitate towards the ease provided by our comfort zones. However, yielding to this inclination may hinder our progress. Embracing change typically entails stepping out of our safe havens and embracing uncertainty - whether it pertains to our bodies or minds. When confronted by problems or unsure paths, we need to address them promptly to ensure that we remain in charge rather than permitting circumstances to dictate events. Waiting until things become intractable seldom proves helpful to us for decision making or problem solving. Overcoming barriers through immediate action provides us with control over the outcome versus passively accepting fate. To truly overcome obstacles, we need to take command before they become crises which then demand immediate action. The comfort we get from inaction often feels better in the moment, but it doesn't pay off later; whereas courageous leaps help us build momentum for brighter days ahead even if they initially trigger fear. We need to remember that regrets stem from missed opportunities rather than failed attempts.
We Need to Lean into Pain
Understanding and accepting personal struggles can play a significant role in our individual growth. We don't often realize how strong we really are until we face some real struggles. It's these difficulties that can shape who we become and help us get better at handling stuff thrown our way the next time around. The key thing here is to hold tight and take each challenge head-on! Why? Because then we reap benefits for all our future battles; even though there will still be issues down the road (as many as before), if we show courage now it makes everything afterwards feel just a bit more manageable than if we had cowered in past moments of crisis and let them defeat us… So we need to remember: every hurdle cleared brings us a confidence boost, leading to us eventually having a lifelong sense of calm control even amidst chaos thanks to those initial acts of bravery as we weather the storms – and if we can do that once, we can keep doing it for whatever else gets tossed our direction later… because the tide always turns towards calmer waters ahead after rough patches hit rough seas. And what happens then is a feeling of invincibility carries right on into other areas of our life too! So we need to grab hold of our fears, my friend, and ride that horse straight thru to the finish line… and always know the prize waiting there’s worth more than any treasure left unearned due to quitting halfway! While diamonds and riches are worth a lot in the world, our own personal victory is far more satisfying and lasts much longer than anything money can buy...so we must never give up hope nor abandon that fighting spirit we all carry within us; trust me, we will make it to the finish line each and every time if we but try!