Adversity defines athletes.
Don’t believe me. Read the come up story of any professional athlete.
It was my fifth day in college when I received the text.
“Andrew, I don’t have great news. Please come by my office”
Shit. I had a bad feeling about this.
I put on my shoes and headed outside.
Luckily the athletic training office is only a 2 minute walk from my dorm room.
But that 2 minutes felt like an eternity. Everything I had worked for was about to be thrown away.
Adversity. I had faced it before, but I knew this was going to be a different beast.
Overcoming Challenges is What Defines Us
We will all face adversity in our lives. It’s how we deal with it that will determine our fate.
Success is impossible without failure.
On tune, it’s your perspective that can take any situation from a negative to a positive.
Successful people have found a way to jump hurdles and navigate around roadblocks that would stop others completely.
How is it that some people can bounce back and find a way to overcome misfortune and defeat?
How Successful People Deal With Adversity
1. They’re mentally prepared
- prepare for the worst, but expect the best
- visualize the situation and all possible scenarios
2. Find your sense of humor
- laugh at misfortunes, but then go conquer them
3. Take stock of all you’ve been through already
- remember how far you’ve come already
- put perspective in to the situation knowing you’ve conquered bigger hurdles before
4. Make peace with the situation
- no moping, complaining, blaming, or making excuses
- take FULL responsibility
5. Embrace adversity as a chance for opportunity
- accept that the struggle will build resilience
6. Refuse to give up
- fully commit to going forward
7. Have a purpose
- if you have a higher purpose and bigger goals you’ll find the strength and motivation needed to keep pushing forward
8. Keep a positive mindset
- it’s all in your head – control your thoughts, emotions, and words
- see the positive in the situation
9. Believe in your capabilities
- have the self-confidence knowing you can overcome the situation and turn it from a negative in to a positive
- remember you are talented enough
I arrive at the athletic training office…
“How’s it feeling?” asked the trainer.
“Not any better. I still can’t open a door or put any pressure on it”
The trainer made a gesturing motion so I followed him to the back room where the x-ray machine is.
“I heard you played pickup again yesterday. That was really dumb”
“I know, but it felt alright I just couldn’t dribble with my left hand.”
“Andrew”… the trainer then proceeded to pull up the x-ray.
“It’s because your wrist is fractured. Look at that huge crack in your wrist. You could have fell on it and made it worst”
F*ck.
Although in my gut I knew it, the actualization I broke my wrist on the second day of college really shocked me. I glanced over at the calendar.
The trainer chimed in, “You’ll be back 2 weeks before the season starts if you’re lucky.”
I wanted to cry, scream, and go invisible all at once. In my head all I could think about is how there was no way I would get any playing time as a freshman now.
Adversity. I faced a whole lot of it my entire freshman year as collegiate basketball player.
But I credit those experiences for helping me mature and become who I am today.
A-D-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y
Everyone is going through something tough in their life right now.
Every single person. Me and you included.
The sports world especially. Adversity defines athletes.
Heck, the whole world is going through adversity right now.
The question is…How are you going to handle it?
Are you going to give in and quit? Crumble? Fold?
Or are you going to put your head down and keep pushing towards your goals and ultimate life?
The choice is yours. Choose wisely.
You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. Embrace ADVERSITY!
DTT:
What’s holding you back from chasing after your dreams?
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