The act of turning trials into triumphs
When Julius Ceasar had conquered the entire Gaul for the Romans, he was stripped of his command by the Roman senate. When Jhon D.Rockefeller started the standard oil company, the United States plunged into a financial crisis, the panic of 1857. When Steve Jobs attempted to revolutionize the tech industry, he was thrown out of his own company. When Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States, the country plunged into the bloodiest civil war. All of these heroic stories share something in common, the act of turning trials into triumphs.
But
Why do great epics of legendary figures of history feature adversity?
What makes hardships an essential aspect of success?
How can challenges be utilized positively in life?
Philosopher Elbert Hubbard answered this with the phrase he penned for American actor Marshall Wilder, “when life throws lemons, make lemonade”. It is fact that life is characterized by challenges, however, if taken positively and utilized creatively, these can be turned into opportunities. Those who manage to stand audaciously in the face of obstacles end up realizing their ultimate goals.
Why is adversity important in life?
Hardships and challenges are important prerequisites for success. Thus, it is important to analyze the positive role played by adversity in life obstruction and difficulties that bring with them a number of benefits. Firstly, it brings a unique set of experiences and along with experience came first-hand knowledge. Thus it allows individuals to learn a new skills and knowledge. Secondly, it allows individuals to grow and mature as a person. It helps to break the ivory tower of an individual and became more grounded. Most importantly, it adds value to life. One can’t appreciate good until one has confronted evil.
Why is it important to convert trials into triumphs?
To wit, Why is it necessary to fight back against odds in life? Why can’t one just sit back and be complacent? The answer to these questions has three tangents. First, no life is devoid of challenges. Every individual face a unique set of obstacles in life. Hence, life is necessarily characterized by pain and adversity. Thus, one can’t eliminate these from life, but one can surely control and manage one’s response to them. Second, History isn’t kind to those who are browbeaten by their miseries. Lastly, the only thing that distinguishes humans from animals is their ability to carve their own fates. Hence, turning trials into triumphs is the very essence of being a human.
How can one turn trials into triumphs?
After establishing the necessity of turning adversity into success, it is important to consider the qualities that are required to achieve that end. First, resilience and perservance are ineffable qualities that allow individuals to come back stronger when they are knocked down by life. Second, a positive can-do attitude is helpful in finding a way to rise back from ashes rather than letting failure drain their resolve. Lastly, there is no point in banging your head against the wall. Hence resilience is useless in the absence of a smart and creative mind. There is an old saying: “There are no problems, only opportunities”.
How did Heroic individuals turn adversity into success?
The qualities described above were possessed by all the great men of history. In fact, some of the most impressive success stories emerged out of insurmountable hostilities and hardships. One such story is that of Demosthenes of Ancient Greece. He was born sickly and frail with a debilitating speech impediment. He had been bullied for most of his life. This humiliation, however, motivated Demosthenes to prove himself and become something extraordinary. He went into isolation on a journey to self-improvement. He practiced long speeches in a single breath. Eventually, these techniques made him an eloquent and masterful speaker. Later, he went on to become the most influential lawyer in the city. Had it not been for his social ostracization, life would have never known who Demosthenes was. but the annals of history will never forget how he converted obstacles into opportunities to achieve success.
The ancient world did not have a monopoly over greatness, the contemporary world is not void of heroic figures. Stephan Hawking was one of them. He is one of the most widely known scientists, notably for his work on black holes and quantum gravity. Earlier, at the age of 21, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS). At that time, doctors believed he’d barely live for two years. Instead of giving up, he started working tirelessly and endlessly to use his mind to the fullest. Against all odds, Hawking defied the disease for decades. Moreover, he turned the obstacles of paralysis into an opportunity to focus all of his energies on his work alone. Consequently, he became one of the most prolific theoretical physicists of modern times, proving further that accomplished figures know how to turn misfortune into fortune.
Based on this discourse, it can be concluded that success and greatness are the hallmarks of those who turn their trials into triumphs. As expressed most emphatically by a Latin proverb, “Fortune favours the brave”, there are key qualities necessary for such upward mobility. These include resilience, perservance, creativity, and intelligence. Individuals who possess these qualities have an optimistic worldview of adversity, whereby they perceive it to be a source of learning, strength, and experience. They know that history isn't kind to those who kowtow to hardships. Instead, the very essence of being human is to rise to the occasion and carve one’s own fate. Success isn’t something that is ordained by luck. Rather, it is a hardwon prize achieved only by those who endeavor to turn their weaknesses into their strengths. History bears witness to the fact that this is as true for individuals as it is for nations. Perhaps, it is time to redefine the Latin proverb by Rene Descartes, “Cogito, ergo sum: I think, therefore I am” to “ I face challenges therefore I am”.