Adversity is when the rubber hits the road. It’s not how we behave in the good times that will determine how successful we are in life, but how we act in the bad times.
Here are some resources that have helped me to deal with adversity.
Marcus Aurelius:
This is the same dude who appears in the beginning of the movie, Gladiator and who was strangled by his own son. In real life Marcus Aurelius was a great conqueror, emperor of Rome, and leader of men.
His book, Meditations is an exposition of Stoic Philosophy. Important takeaways for me are that we should be accepting of adversity because it is only way that we can prove our virtues. Otherwise, they are just theoretical.
In another part, he exhorts his generals not be disheartened at the challenges that face them — because facing up to challenges is what we were made for.
2. Viktor Frankl
In his book, Man’s search for meaning, he asks why some people survived the Nazi death camps so much better than others. The finds the answer in the meanings that the prisoners attached to their experience. His bottom line: Suffering in life is inevitable and in many cases, unavoidable. But the meaning that we attach to that suffering is a personal choice that likely will make all the difference.
