Recently I was asked, “How does a person sustain success in adversity?” This is a great question. Personally, I have found this is a challenge. I have found that we will always have adversity. But, we will not always have “success.” So, what can a person do?
Sustaining success in adversity is more than a mindset; it is a purpose and passion of the soul.
Here are three ways you can Sustain Success in Adversity. But, before I mention these three ways, I want to give you a perspective of each word — sustaining, success, and adversity.
Sustaining is to choose to be intentionally committed. This is patient persistence and perseverance.
Success is significance. Or, you could say that significance is success. Significance is “the quality of being worthy of attention.” Even if you fail or lose, you can be significant. And, you can succeed and win and not be worthy of significance.
Coach Walz was recently in the sports news and he passionately expressed that this team lost and should not have a trophy for losing. He explained that giving a trophy to every so no one feels bad about losing does not prepare people for the real world. I agree. Just because you win 1st place, does not mean you are worthy of attention. But, you can lose and be in 4th place and be significant, worthy of attention.
Adversity happens to everyone – all the time. Recognize you will never graduate from the university of adversity – it is a lifelong enrollment.
So, sustaining success in adversity is to choose to be intentionally committed to significance throughout your lifelong enrollment in the university of adversity.
Here are 3 things I have learned that can help you be successful, more important, be significant in adversity.
- Stay Your Course. Stay focused on your vision and purpose. If you do not know your why, know what makes you happy. After 6 years of planning, in August of 1974, at the age of 24, Phillip Petite walked on a high-wire 1,350 feet above the ground between the Twin Towers of the Trade Center. He spent 45 minutes and made 8 passes between the two towers. When he stepped off the wire he was arrested. The media asked him, “Why would you do this?” He was upset they would even ask him after he completed a phenomenal feat. In his French accent he said,” There is no why, it only makes me happy, happy, happy?”
- Stay in Your Lane. Stay in your strengths and genius. Genius is not your IQ, but it is the talents, skills, and gifts you naturally possess. It is those things that you can do spending hours into the late night. It is those things that you do not have to eat or sleep because you can be so hyper focused. Other people tell you that you are really good at it. And, when asked how you do something, you do not know how you do it – it just makes sense and makes you happy. My few experiences with auto mechanics quickly told me that was not my genius. I have had a few friends who can take apart a car, with bits and pieces, and parts thrown everywhere and put it back together – because it just makes sense. That is not my genius. My genius is in listening and helping people shape their significance.
- Stay in Your Service to People. Gandhi said,” The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” And, Albert Einstein said,” Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.” When you know your course and our lane, you know how you can serve people and then you know who you should serve. Then, when you focus on serving people out of your significance, your service can help others become significant. You can help others be worthy of attention. When people think of service to others, many think of Mother Teresa. She said, “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, … is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” When you serve out of your significance, you stand out.
When you are intentionally committed to your significance, stay the course, stay in your lane, and stay in service to people. Then, you will stand out throughout your life-long enrollment in the university of adversity.
This is how you can sustain success significance in adversity.
If you would like help in discovering your significance, reach out to me at eric@drericlake.com.
