5 Ways You Can Overcome Adversity

Stephen J. Hopson recently shared a great article sharing his Secrets of Dealing with Adversity, where he asked his readers to share their top 5 (or more) tips on overcoming adversity. Having seen my share of adversity in my life, I'm going to share 5 ways you can overcome adversity.

1. Stop what you're doing - Once you realize you're in a tough spot, stop what you're doing RIGHT NOW. This stops things from getting worse, and to keep you from staying stuck in a bad situation.
   
2. Reframe the situation - However you're looking at the situation is probably not the most positive way to look at it, so reframe it to look for the learning, to look for the opportunity, instead of focusing on the adversity.
3. Ask for help - No doubt you've got a lot of really smart people in your life. Ask them for what they've done in similar situations. It's always helpful and gives you an opportunity to learn new ways of dealing with adversity, even if you don't use one of the recommended courses of action.
   
4. Seek out experts in the blogosphere - With over 50 million blogs, there are millions of smart people you don't know who may have experienced the same adversity you're going through. Do a quick blog search with your question, and in nanoseconds, you'll have hundreds of answers that worked, or didn't work, for others.
   
5. Refocus on the main thing - Remember why you're on this earth, and what you're meant to do, can help you answer the all important question, "What can you do?" instead of focusing on what you can't do.

What are your tips and tricks for overcoming adversity? If you have a blog, please share your Secrets of Dealing with Adversity and link back to Stephen's post with your tips and tricks. Help him understand your secrets, and help yourself overcome adversity better by knowing what helps you. You can also leave me a comment below and I'll pass it along to Stephen for you.

Comments

[Stephen Hopson]

Phil:

What a fabulous set of advice about how you deal with adversity! Not only was it well written but it was very clearly written from the heart.

I particularly liked the first one - STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING. That is extremely difficult especially if one is in the throes of a difficult or dramatic moment but you're absolutely right. This lends to the idea that you may not be able to control what's happening to you but you can control YOUR BEHAVIOR.

Excellent, excellent. It was very courageous of you to participate because telling others about how you deal with adversity isn't easy. Doing something like this bares your soul, something not everyone, even so-called personal development experts are not comfortable doing.

So thank you for being courageous enough to make a difference by participating in my Adversity University "Secrets in Dealing with Adversity." You have made a difference with your words today!

Stephen

[Scot Herrick]

I would add another: continue to work. A lot of adversity is our own perception. But, by continuing to do the work, we defeat the poor perceptions one by one.

Too many of us -- and I am guilty of this as well -- get the adversity and then stop doing the work. That's when we lose.

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Stop what you're doing. Keep going. Both are great ways to get through.

Thanks you Stephen and Scot for making my day GREAT^er by your comments. Your words help me make it great, and for that I am very thankful!

[Barrett Niehus]

In addition to the list, find help, or enlist the expertise of a mentor.

-4MySales

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Thanks Barrett!