Life Giving Lessons That Can Be Learned in Adversity

Adversity is uncomfortable. Adversity is inconvenient. Adversity sucks. And…

Adversity is inevitable.

Whether you’re coming out of a trial, right smack dab in the middle of one, or there is one waiting for you just around the corner, the reality is that there are plenty to go around. And no one is immune. 

Adversity gets a bad rap… rightfully so. 

It can wreak havoc on relationships, careers, finances, physical and emotional health, etc.

But even though it’s often leading the battle, it can’t win the war… unless you give it permission. 

We don’t plan for or invite adversity into our life. Heck, we don’t even serve up a warm welcome when it comes knocking on our door. 

No one (even if you’re menopausal crazy) chooses adversity.

But underneath the layers of fear, angst, hurt, worry, sleepless nights, helplessness, and hopelessness that hardship stirs up, it can actually be a powerful teacher. 

On the surface, adversity would love for you to believe that it has nothing but misery, despair, and affliction for you. 

Oh sister, have I got some good news for you.

Although there are certain circumstantial challenges that make you feel like there is absolutely nothing positive that can come out of whatever it is you’re experiencing, I want you to know that could not be any further from the truth. 

But you gotta look for it.

“If a flower can flourish in the desert, YOU can flourish anywhere.” 

– Matshona Dhliwayo 

Do you know what can be one of the toughest nuggets to digest in adversity? The truth. 

A hefty dose of humility usually comes with any type of challenge or trial.

It ain’t easy, especially for us women folk, to look reality in the eyes and admit that our social media posts aren’t always an accurate depiction of “real life” for us. Sometimes we burn the pancakes.

Regardless of what we want others to think, we don’t always have it goin’ on because not one of us is immune to hard times and tough stuff. 

While it doesn’t happen automatically, there is always good to be found in any dose of hard that life doles out. 

Life-Giving Lessons Learned in Adversity

• COMPASSION

Working through your own adversities will definitely open your eyes, mind, and your heart to the struggles of others. There will always be room for more compassion.

• SELF-AWARENESS 

You can learn so much about yourself through any hardship. So much can be revealed about who you really are. 

Often, specific qualities like limitations, patterns, beliefs, skills, etc. that you hadn’t acknowledged or appreciated before rise to the surface with new opportunities to make different choices, shift your perspective, and try new things.

This shift in self-awareness is so powerful.

• FREEDOM

Woah Nellie, hardships can be a slap-in-the-face reminder that we don’t have unlimited control of everything in our lives.

As much as we want to flex our independence and pretend that we have the power to chart our own path, life’s struggles remind us we aren’t all that.

You can free yourself of unnecessary weight when you both acknowledge and embrace your limitations.

• RESILIENCE

Pushing through hard times will help you develop strength and resilience to persevere through future challenges. 

Just look at what you’ve overcome in the past 18 months.

Whether it was homeschooling your kids, working from home, making sacrificial shifts to your family budget, pushing through residual COVID symptoms, you did it.

Stop and take some time to really think about your COVID crazy journey. Look for the good and be motivated and encouraged by it, my friend.

And then, give yourself a great big pat on the back.