He Who Has Not Faced Adversity Does Not Know His Own Strength

In Western society adversity is undervalued. We have too limited a notion, highlighting only the situations or people that are unfavorable or contrary to us. What is not usually taken into account is that behind a situation of adversity there is a reaction of struggle . Thus, in that struggle is where a deep and rich self-learning takes place.

In calm waters it is placid to swim, but we will learn little from the tide. Our life is similar to that tide, while it is calm we will not have to use our strength. A person who does not know adversity does not know himself, does not recognize himself in his limits. Adversity is like a prism, once you have looked from it, you will never see things the same way again.

People can live for years without knowing our true abilities and characteristics for different reasons. Perhaps because we have avoided adversity, perhaps because we have not yet encountered it. Think that every adversity gives us a little bit of self-knowledge and in most cases a pleasant surprise: we did not know how strong we were until being strong was our only option.

Resilience, courage in misfortunes

Resilience is the ability of a person or a group to recover from adversity to continue projecting into the future. Sometimes, difficult circumstances allow the development of resources that were latent and that the individual was unaware of until that moment. 

Positive psychology recognizes that this is a common response as a form of adjustment in the face of adversity. There are different circumstances that will or will not favor the development of resilience in each person, such as education, family relationships and social context. In particular, resilience is linked to self-esteem, so it is important to work with children from an early age so that they can develop this capacity in a healthy way.

A child with good self-esteem will transform into an adult with good resilience, so he will be prepared to overcome the obstacles that he encounters throughout his life. It is important that children are guided efficiently through their early life so that they develop a constructive way of coping with difficulties.

Success is not the end, nor is failure to fail

We tend to think that our willpower is born out of nowhere, like an inexhaustible spring. But a curious study reveals that when we have spent all day exercising self-control, during the night we are more forgiving. That means that willpower is a quality that we must learn to dose.

Sometimes it is difficult to find that strength to continue.  The state of mind, circumstances external to us and our thoughts can play tricks on us.  To find our inner strength we will have to concentrate on what really matters to us, ignoring the lost causes, for which we cannot do anything. This is the attitude that will allow us to focus our energy and fight for our goals.