Persevere

It’s not a matter of if, but rather when your life will meet with adversity. Laid off at work. Family drama. A passing relative. Financial strains. Lack of direction. The list goes on and on, and no one is safe from the experience. It’s not a bad thing, it’s life.

If there is no avoiding the pitfall themselves, it follows that your focus should remain on your response when the pitfalls do indeed come. Your reaction can mean the difference between a good day or a bad one.

As I examine my life, I realize that the success I seek has far less to do with the heights that I achieve. Rather, it has everything to do with my ability to handle what comes at me in the low moments. How do I deal with the things money can’t fix?

I want to live a life of perseverance; a life that isn’t landmarked by ups and downs, but by consistency and resolve. Do I lose motivation after failure? Is my vision clouded after success? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. I’d like to change that.

Lance Armstrong may be one of the quintessential images of perseverance. Regardless of your take on his career, doping accusations, or his foundation, it will never be said that Lance quit. He faced cancer, competition, and criticism, and he kept going.

It seems to me that excellence isn’t in the cards you’re dealt, or the hands that you win, but instead the manner in which you play each and every round. Are you unwavering in adversity? I’d like to be.