The Opportunity of Adversity

The thesaurus might equate "disabled" with synonyms like "useless" and "mutilated," but ground-breaking runner Aimee Mullins is out to redefine the word. Defying these associations, she shows how adversity -- in her case, being born without shinbones -- actually opens the door for human potential. 

Aimee Mullins was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was an infant. She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run -- competing at the national and international level as a champion sprinter, and setting world records at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. At Georgetown, where she double-majored in history and diplomacy, she became the first double amputee to compete in NCAA Division 1 track and field.
After school, Mullins did some modeling -- including a legendary runway show for Alexander McQueen -- and then turned to acting, appearing as the Leopard Queen in Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle. In 2008 she was the official Ambassador for the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

Listen to Aimee on TED. You can click on the Interactive Transcript and follow along.

Tips for Overcoming Adversity

Whether we like it, or not, adversity is part of life. Overcoming adversity is one of the biggest hurdles we face. As Havelock Ellis wrote, "Pain and death are part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself." Problems, large and small present themselves to us throughout our whole existence. Regardless of how sharp, clever, or happy-go-lucky we are, we will encounter struggle, challenges, difficulties and at times, heart wrenching moments.
 Is this meant to be a negative, cynical assessment of what we have to look forward to?
Not at all!
 In fact, thank goodness for adversity! Learning to deal with, and overcoming adversity, is what makes us who we are. Every challenge, every difficulty we successfully confront in life serves to strengthen our will, confidence and ability to conquer future obstacles. Herodotus, the Greek philosopher, said, "Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have lain dormant in its absence."
When you respond positively and constructively to your biggest challenges, the qualities of strength, courage, character and perseverance emerge from deep inside of you.
Of course, since we are human, it is very easy to get caught up in the self pity, unfairness of life, or 'why me?' trap. When we do, we fail to recognize the opportunities for wisdom and growth that accompany adversity. However, as soon we allow ourselves to think more clearly, we are able to let go of self-defeating and unproductive thoughts and get down to the business of dealing with what's before us.
Read more and find tips for overcoming adversity at Essential Life Skills.net

Braun refers to 'adversity' and 'challenge'

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, January 21, 2012

New York– Though not specifically referencing the drug testing controversy that has enveloped him for most of the off-season, Ryan Braun did not ignore it as many expected when accepting his National League most valuable player award Saturday night.

The Milwaukee Brewers’ star left fielder, who awaits the verdict from an arbitration panel on whether he’ll be suspended for the first 50 games of the 2012 season, talked about the “adversity” and “challenge” he is facing during his speech at the annual Baseball Writers Association of America awards banquet at the New York Hilton.

“Sometimes in life we all deal with challenges we never expected to endure,” said Braun, making his first public appearance since a report surfaced in early December that he tested positive for a banned substance and faced the suspension.

“We have an opportunity to look at those challenges and view them either as obstacles or opportunities. I’ve chosen to view every challenge I’ve ever faced as an opportunity and this will be no different. I’ve always believed that a person’s character is revealed through the way they deal through those moments of adversity.

“I’ve always loved and had so much respect for the game of baseball. Everything I’ve done in my career has been done with that respect and appreciation in mind. That is why I’m so grateful and humbled to accept this award tonight.”

Read more...

How to Tackle Adversity Like an Oyster

A few days back while I was walking to school, I felt a piece of gravel or pebble that found its way into my shoe and prodded against my sole whenever I made a step forward.

As I walked on, I thought about how oysters produce pearls to alleviate the “discomfort” that trespassing particles assert on their soft tissues. According to HowStuffWorks.com, whenever a foreign substance finds its way between the oyster’s mantle and shell, the mantle will secrete layers of nacre to cover the irritant particle. As the layers of nacre consequently cover each other, a pearl is eventually formed.

It's funny. The world is full of little lessons and solutions. Most of us, however, are too busy or too lazy to notice. Take this as an example. From the story of the oyster and the pearl, we can draw 3 life lessons from them.

Read more about the three lessons at dumblittleman..com