Adversity is the diamond dust heaven polishes its jewels with.
—Robert Leighton,
Scottish minister and professor of divinity
The dictionary says that adversity is a condition marked by misfortune, a calamity, or an unfortunate event or circumstance. I say that adversity comes in all shapes and sizes, from life-threatening illnesses, to losing a sale, to failing in business, to rocky relationships. Adversity can be many things according to just when it hits you and under what conditions. Whatever it may be for you, if you have suffered setbacks, hardships, or failures, know that you are not alone. Very few things are true all of the time in all situations, but this is a universal truth: Plans do not become achievements, dreams do not become realities, and ideas do not come to fruition without setbacks, hardships, and failures.
The thing about adversity, though, is that it is the greatest teacher we can ever have. The ocean never stays calm, and still waters do not make for a skilled mariner. No matter what you're facing today, there's something in it that will build fortitude for tomorrow. As Michael Korda once said, "It is on the way down that we learn how things work. On the way up, we are enjoying the ride too much to pay attention." Adversity is not just a lesson for the next time, but a lesson for a lifetime.
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them.
—George Bernard Shaw,
playwright