3526: Overcoming Adversity: 4 Step to Thrive During Hard Times by Brian Tracy on Personal Growth

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Living Daily. Overcoming Adversity. Four Steps to Thrive During Hard Times by BrianTracy of BrianTracy.com. And I'm Justin Malek, your host and narrator, reading to you every day of the year with permission from the authors. So now let's get right to our next one as we optimize your life. Overcoming Adversity. Four Steps to Thrive During Hard Times by BrianTracy of BrianTracy.com.

[00:01:30] Here's a question for you. What are you made of? What are you really made of? When push comes to shove, when the rubber meets the road, when the chips are down, what lies at the very core of your character? You learn what you're really made of only when things go wrong and you are tumbled, end over end by some adversity or setback that hits you like a Mack truck coming out of an alley.

[00:01:52] Since your behaviors on the outside are the real indicators of who you are on the inside, only by observing how you behave when things go wrong can you tell what you really have inside you. Let's make one thing clear at the beginning. Life is a continuous succession of both small and large problems. They never end. No sooner do you get control of one situation when you are hit by another. Life is a process of two steps forward and one step back.

[00:02:18] When you become a great success, you simply exchange one type of problem for another. Before you had small problems with limited consequences, now you have large problems with enormous consequences. No matter how smart and clever and careful you are, you'll face life struggles, challenges, difficulties, and sometimes heartbreaking adversities every day, week, and month of your life. And thank heaven for that. You couldn't possibly become the person you are today if you had not had to contend with adversity on your way up.

[00:02:48] Perhaps your chief aim in life is to develop a noble character, to become an excellent human being, to become everything you are capable of becoming. Only by contending with hard times that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment can you grow more surely toward the stars. The starting point in dealing with any difficulty is simply to relax. Clear your mind. Get yourself into a state where you're calm and cool and in full control of your emotions and senses.

[00:03:16] Back off mentally and become as objective as possible. Step back and look at the problem with a certain amount of detachment, as if it were happening to someone else. When you can analyze your adversities clearly, you sometimes see opportunities to turn them to your best advantage. One of the rules in dealing with adversity in life is that you are only as free as your well-developed alternatives. You're only as free as the options you have. Only when you can switch and do something else can you be flexible in dealing with your current situation.

[00:03:46] If you have not developed an option or an alternative, you'll become anxious, even panicky, when you are threatened with a sudden loss or reversal in a particular area of your life. We can avoid tragedy on that scale by following a four-step method for dealing with any adversity. Dale Carnegie wrote about it more than 50 years ago, and it's still one of the most powerful mental tools that anyone can use when confronted with problems or worries of any kind. Step one, define the problem clearly.

[00:04:16] What exactly is the problem? What exactly are you worrying about? Write out the definition of your problem. Make sure that it's a single problem. If it's more than one problem, write out clear definitions of all the problems that together constitute what you are worrying about right now. Step two, determine the worst possible outcome. Ask, what's the worst possible thing that can happen in this situation? Be frank and honest with yourself.

[00:04:42] You might lose your money or your relationship or your customer or someone or something else that is really important to you. If everything fell apart, what is the worst thing that could occur? Step three, resolve to accept the worst thing should it occur. Having identified the worst possible outcome, you now can go through the mental exercise of accepting that it is going to happen no matter what you do. The remarkable thing is that as soon as you stop resisting the worst possible outcome,

[00:05:11] you'll relax, your mind will clear, and your ability to deal with the situation will improve dramatically. Step four, begin immediately to improve upon the worst, which you have already accepted is going to happen. Throw all of your mental resources into the battle to minimize the problem or resolve the difficulty. Concentrate on the future. Don't worry about what happened, why it happened, and who was responsible. Think only about the question, what do I do now?

[00:05:40] How can you minimize the consequences? What's the first step you can take? And the second step? And the third step? And so on. Successful people are not people without life problems. They're people who respond quickly and positively to their problems. They think them through in advance. They anticipate them. And when they can't, they use the four-step method to resolve whatever difficulty they face. They define the problem clearly. They define the worst possible thing that could happen as a result of the problem.

[00:06:09] They resolve to accept the worst should it occur. And then they concentrate all of their energies on making sure that the very worst doesn't happen. In dealing with adversity effectively, your ability to ask questions is essential. As long as you are asking questions, you're expanding the range of options and possibilities that are open to you. As long as you are asking questions, you are keeping your mind calm and cool and objective. You are not allowing yourself to get caught up emotionally, thereby shutting down large parts of your brain and your creative powers.

[00:06:39] Many problems and adversities arise because of misunderstandings and incorrect information. One of the smartest things you'll ever do in facing any adversity is to ask yourself who else may have had this problem and what did they do? Ask around. Don't be afraid to admit that you're in a bind. If you made a mistake or dropped the ball and found yourself in a difficult situation, don't be afraid to go to someone and admit that you need help. You'll be amazed at the valuable advice that you can get from someone

[00:07:07] who has already experienced the difficulty that you're going through. In dealing with adversity, perhaps one of the most important positive affirmations you can remember is this. This too shall pass. Whatever it is, however difficult it may appear, say to yourself, this too shall pass. One of your main jobs in life is to become an expert in dealing with adversity, to triumph over difficulty, to rise above the challenges of day-to-day life. Keep your thoughts on where you're going,

[00:07:36] not on where you've been. Keep your eyes on your goals, and keep your chin tilted upward toward the sunshine. Resolve in advance that you will meet and overcome every difficulty, and then no matter what happens, don't give up until you do. You just listened to the post titled, Overcoming Adversity, Four Steps to Thrive During Hard Times, by Brian Tracy of briantracey.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:09:01] That's linkedin.com slash selection to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Thank you to Brian. I know you listening have your challenges. You've been through previous challenges. You've worked your way through so many already. And some are ongoing, but you're still here listening, still working your way through them. Don't take those four steps lightly. Definitely try it out. You might find that it works for you.

[00:09:28] I know Dale Carnegie's steps have worked for so many people, me included. These four steps really are from him. I read the book that these were taken from. It's called How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. If you find yourself worrying about, well, anything really, maybe worrying too much, it could be hindering you in some way, worrying about yourself, others, outside circumstances. Then I would recommend reading this book. I found it super helpful.

[00:09:57] Again, it's called How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. Super popular, along with the best-selling book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, also by Dale Carnegie. Both great ones written a long time ago, but still relevant today. So thank you again to Brian. And thank you for being here every day and learning along with me. Have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you tomorrow as usual, where your optimal life awaits.