Row the Boat

Chapter 10Rowing through Adversity

P.J. Fleck

 

Responding to Adversity

“Life happens” applies equally to sports, business, and life. It's how we respond to a circumstance that makes our organization and team who we are and determines where will be heading. The path to success will constantly be filled with peaks and valleys and everyone, without exception, will experience them. The vision we have for our life, career, team, family, or organization doesn't take into account the natural pitfalls that will come. When they come, we will deal with them at that time. Issues and challenges always arise as you rise and fall and rise again on your way to realizing your vision. Whoever is better able to handle adverse moments and periods will get ahead. Whoever fails at this will fall behind.

You must remember that the dream is the journey, not the destination. Every hard day, every loss, every lost family member, every financial burden, every “no,” every divorce or breakup, every hardship is part of your journey on the way to achieve your dream and is meant to teach you how to handle success and failure. These tests help you build leather skin for the assignments in your life. Have you ever had something happen to you that seemed devastating at the time, but when you looked back later in life you realized that it shaped what and who you are as a person? This doesn't mean it's easy ...