Einstein said “adversity introduces a man to himself,” but why would we need to be introduced to the person we already are. I mean we are who we are because that’s who we choose to be. We grow up with a clear mindset of who we want to be in the future, but maybe we don’t really have a choice, maybe we need adversity to break us down and shape us into the person we truly are supposed to be. Overcoming adversity is important in our lives because it encourages you to continue setting and achieving goals, it brings out the strength and determination in you, and it builds character showing that the negative obstacles in life are there to motivate not eliminate your self-confidence. 

When we set goals in life, our main focus is to reach out and achieve those goals. Really it’s about seeing a change in yourself during the process of your target. It is true that the more goals you set for yourself and achieve, the more capable you are of overcoming challenges that life throws at you. So keep setting goals, and as you reach them, start setting new ones, that’s how you grow. You start to see a huge amount of character development and it overshadows your self-doubt. It makes you reflect on your improvement. For example, when I was in dance, we would learn a new routine almost every week and I found it hard to keep up. At first it did make me feel weak and vulnerable but I devised a strategy to be able to follow along with the rest of the class. I practiced almost every hour after class and eventually I became the lead dancer in one of our recital performances. When you set goals for yourself you become more successful.

By working towards achieving our goals we also become stronger and more determined. As Ziglar said; “sometimes adversity is what you need to be successful in life.” Strength comes from character growth and perseverance, while determination proves that you have faced and survived an obstacle in your life. When you wake up in the morning with determination, you will definitely end up going to bed with satisfaction. To keep moving forward and push through any obstacle, you will need the strength you know you have and not the strength you think you have – that is believing in yourself.

It is true that adversity can break us, torment, and bring stress to our lives but it is nothing more than a series of episodes in life that help build character and shape us into the person we are truly destined to be. So when life gives you adversity, make the best out of it, push through it, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Think for a moment and ask yourself: what would life be like without adversity? Will you be the same person you are today?