“You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.” ~ Michelle Obama
“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me … You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” ~ Walt Disney
I know. How can I say I’m grateful for adversity. Well there are at least two reasons. One, we get stronger when we challenge ourselves. That goes for our physical bodies and for our emotional, mental and spiritual bodies too. And two, adversity gives me an opportunity to think outside the box and look for solutions to my current difficulties. And maybe a third reason I embrace adversity is, the more I lean into hope, the better I feel.
You may be like me, there are times when I just want the world to slow down. I want peace, quiet, happiness, and prosperity. The thing is, if I had those things all the time, without continuing to grow and be creative, I’d get bored.
There is a really great episode of the Original Star Trek where the crew of the Enterprise encounters a group of immortals who lived in Ancient Greece during its Golden Age. The episode is titled, “Plato’s Stepchildren” from season 3. After leaving Earth and settling on their current planet, most of the members of the group developed psychokinetic powers. Gradually they became lazy and cruel. For some reason, they have given up being creative or curious and so their society is stagnant. The problem for them, though, is that they have lost the ability to heal. And so when their leader is about to die from an infected minor cut, they send out a distress signal which the Enterprise responds to. Instead of being grateful for Dr. McCoy’s help, they try to coerce him and the Enterprise into staying. Fortunately for the Enterprise crew, they are able to develop the same psychokinetic powers as the inhabitants. It’s only when Kirk overpowers them that they wake up to what they have become. I don’t want to become like Plato’s Stepchildren. And so, usually after the hard times have passed and I’ve survived, I’m immensely grateful for what I’ve learned.
One thing I can say about adversity, it certainly makes me think of ways to navigate the difficulties. Oh, sure, there are times when I wallow in suffering. But I’ve learned that gratitude is a much better way to approach the downturns in my life. If I look for the good things while I’m going through the hard times and say to myself, “In this moment, I have everything I need,” somehow I make it through to the other side.
Another thing I do is remember that The Universe, or God if you prefer, has my back. I have always been taken care of even during the most dire of circumstances. There is no reason for me to think that will change.
My father used to say, “Will this situation matter in a hundred years?” To which the answer is usually, “No. It won’t even matter in a year, a month, or even a week.”
So, even though we’re going through some hard times in the world right now, I say, “Thanks for this opportunity to grow.” In a hundred years people will look back and be able to identify how seeming miracles happened and we were able to find solutions that no one had ever thought of previous to this time.
I definitely want to keep growing and being creative. Otherwise, what’s the use of living?
Thanks for reading, liking, and commenting. I appreciate it and hope that things are going well for you, even if times are a bit hard. Remember, that nothing ever stays the same.
Blessings,
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2022
The Space Between Time
Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.
The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.
Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.
Patreon
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast and Patreon communities so I’d have an excuse to talk story. You may have seen my Story-Power posts here. If you’re passionate about stories too, and want to talk about your favorite stories, come join me at either SageWoman.life, or patreon.com/StoryPower.
PodMatch
If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.
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