If there is one thing that we as humans are very good at, it’s making excuses. We love to shift blame, deflect responsibility, and do just about anything to justify why we are not maximizing our potential and abilities. We can always find reasons why we are not succeeding in work, relationships, finances, health, and in life.
Well, it turns out that adversity is often the mother of opportunity. Tough times can stimulate extraordinary outcomes. And this pandemic is just the environment to prove it to yourself.
I see A LOT of patients. This means I get to hear from a lot of people and get to see many perspectives on the same events. Something as simple as weather will get some people complaining, using it as an excuse to be upset, bummed out, or even depressed. While others, in this same weather, keep cranking along, happy and motivated.
I’ve long been intrigued with how two people in the same circumstances can have completely different outcomes. Broken homes, poverty, limited opportunities, and abuse can paralyze one person, leading to a life of misery and difficulty, while those same circumstances can push another person to a life of achievement, wealth, and contribution.
It’s safe to say that everyone has been tested and pushed this past year and a half. The interesting thing is that that push has been in different directions for different people. Some have been pushed back, gaining weight, getting out of shape, letting stress cripple them, and having relationships deteriorate. Others have used the time and circumstances to do just the opposite. They’ve lost weight, boosted their fitness, learned to manage the stress, and bolstered relationships.
Last week, I posted in my Friday’s Findings on my website (you can subscribe to that free weekly email at drbizjak.com) a list of companies that were started during the depression and recessions. That list included Hyatt, Microsoft, General Motors, Mailchimp, Uber, Airbnb, and Venmo. While many companies and entrepreneurs ball up, get scared, and put the brakes on, others capitalize on opportunities for development, growth, and creation.
It is natural and instinctual to go into protective mode in tougher times, but reading about companies like the ones mentioned above redirect my thinking, focus, and beliefs. Could this be a time to excel? Could this be a time to change? Could this be a time to make your move? Could a time with such uncertainty and inherent fear be a time for you to break out and do something extraordinary?
In Ryan Holiday’s great book, The Obstacle Is The Way, he references an old Zen story about a king that is frustrated with his people that have grown “soft and entitled.” He writes…
“His plan was simple: He would place a large boulder in the middle of the mail road, completely blocking entry into the city. He would then hide nearby and observe their reactions.
How would they respond? Would they band together to remove it? Or would they get discouraged, quit, and return home?
With growing disappointment, the king watched as subject after subject came to this impediment and turned away. Or, at best, tried halfheartedly before giving up. Many openly complained or cursed the king or fortune, or bemoaned the inconvenience, but none managed to do anything about it.
After several days, a lone peasant came along on his way into town. He did not turn away. Instead, he strained and strained, trying to push it out of the way. Then an idea came to him: He scrambled into the nearby woods to find something he could use for leverage. Finally, he returned with a large branch he crafted into a lever and deployed it to dislodge the massive rock from the road.
Beneath the rock were a purse of gold coins and a note from the king which said:
‘The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.’”
Don’t let adversity hold you back, let it be the catalyst that propels you to that next level of greatness.
