Reflections of a Survivior

In today’s highly competitive work environment, to survive, thrive and succeed takes a lot of determination, hard work, personal discipline and courage. In these present conditions how does one handle the stress? Survival and success in our careers depend on how we deal with the many daily strains that threaten our physical and mental well-being. Apart from pressures at work, many of us have obligations at home to our family members. Balancing the two is mentally and physically burdensome.

The work culture and working conditions have changed over the years. According to research conducted by Peak Learning Inc., a corporate consulting firm based in California, a person faces 27 occurrences of adversity in a typical day, which is almost a 300% increase from 13 years ago. This means that on any given day, we have to deal with a combination of many minor annoyances and major setbacks in the place where we spend most our time–at work.

Success depends on how we handle adversity. “It’s a rare person who can thrive, and flourish, and prosper in the same difficult circumstances that tend to beat most people up” says Paul G. Stoltz, Ph.D., CEO of Peak Learning and author of Adversity Quotient @ Work. These exceptional people, who have high Adversity Quotients (AQs)–are estimated to be about 5% to 25% of the people in any given organization. They are able to harness adversity and allow it to make them something better as a result of their struggle.

Adversity Quotient®, or AQ®, is the science of human resilience. People who have high AQ perform optimally in the face of adversity–the challenges, big and small, that confront us each day. In fact, they not only learn from these challenges, but they also respond to them better and faster.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by the obligations at work and home, there are many ways to better manage your situation:

• Find creative outlets—People who have a creative outlets and interests apart from the job or the career is better equipped to cope with adversity.
• Ease up the load by delegating to others (both at home and at work).
• Nurture and make time for yourself. When you neglect yourself, you are headed for trouble. Avoid burnouts by giving time for yourself and doing things you love.

You get to live your life only once, but if lived right, once is enough. You might not have all you want, given to you. But if you have all you want, then what is the joy of struggling and succeeding. The following poem (author unknown) tells us why we should be thankful for the challenges, struggles, obstacles, limitations and so on.

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

To live your life in your own way… to struggle, fail and then succeed… to make mistakes and learn from them… to help others and get help from others… to laugh and to make others laugh…to set goals and strive for them… to love and to be loved… to be the you that you want to be…that is success, satisfaction, bliss…