“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” Anne Bradstreet

Adversity is a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty or misfortune. Sometimes, adversity is very serious, like an illness or job loss. Sometimes adversity is more manageable, like your child’s school grades or the last electric bill. In any case, adversity is really what you make of it and how you choose to address it.

Here are some ideas to help overcome adversity:

1. Have the right mindset. Your thoughts are essential; they frame the triumphs or tragedies of your life. . . .
2. Stop making excuses. Excuses are the lies we tell ourselves when we're too afraid of the future. . . .
3. Have faith. . . in your beliefs and in yourself.
4. Don't take “no” for an answer. . . .
5. Let each success energize you.
6. Be resilient . . . Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress – it means "bouncing back" from difficult times.

If we keep our challenges in perspective, it may help us overcome them.

As Dolly Parton, the legendary singer and business woman says, “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

Always remember:

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."

Jimmy Dean

Portions of this blog were adapted from the Help Center at the American Psychological Association.