How to Flourish in Times of Adversity

Knowing how to succeed and keeping the secret with you even after you have succeeded is very important.

This is because when adversity comes and you lose everything, you can still use the same secret to find your way back to the top.

Years ago, the BBC interviewed a nice gentleman called Paul Bagina. Bagina was a hotel manager in the country of Rwanda.

He caught the attention of BBC after saving 1,268 Rwandans in his hotel during the Tusti – Hutu civil war.

As the civil war raged on, more hardship and problem were felt. Bagina’s lucrative job was seriously affected. To survive, he became a taxi driver. Later, he bought two other cars and gave them to two men to drive for him as taxis.

Paul Bagina, who told BBC that “The best therapy in the world is to sit down and talk”, has demonstrated that it is not enough to know how to get to the top, you must also keep the secret with you so that in time of adversity, you can use this secret to get back to the top.

Now, this brings us to the question: “How can one get to the top and how can one use the secret to flourish in times of trouble?

Below are three steps you can take:

1.  Think Good Thoughts

In times of adversity, the proper thing to do is not whining, complaining, crying, or being bitter.

Unfortunately, that is how most of us react in times of adversity. And people who react in such negative manner find it difficult to survive not even to talk of flourishing in times of adversity. Some even go to the level of committing suicide.

The first and most important step to take in times of adversity is to think. Think good thoughts. Good thinking is the distinguishing characteristic of successful people. Successful people don’t keep thinking about the problems they are facing. They think about solutions to the problems. That is what good thinking is all about.

One of the greatest gifts that God give to every person is the brain, the ability to think. God gave us the brain so that we can use it to think positively. But when we use it to think negatively, that is when we get overwhelmed by adversity.

However, when you think positively, you will be able to generate ideas you can use to triumph over adversity.

The fact remains: negative thinking produces negative results while positive thinking produces positive results. The secret of overcoming adversity is to think of positive things you can do to overcome it. You cannot be thinking negatively and hope to flourish in the midst of adversity. Complaint and bitterness have never helped to solve any problems, rather they aggravate them.

To overcome adversity, sit down and think of positive ideas you can use to overcome it. Asking yourself such simple question as “What can I do to get out of this adversity?” will cause your mind to generate ways of surmounting the adversity.

2.  Drop Your Pride

In times of adversity, humility is the ladder you need to climb back to the top. Working your way up in times of adversity is like starting all over again. It is not going to be easy. But when you start now, it is just a matter of time; you will get back to the top.

For Paul Bagina, he had to abandon his position as General Manager of a hotel and become a taxi driver. He later used the proceeds he got from the cab to buy two cars which he gave to two men to use in generating income. He made it back to the top!

Humility is one of the characteristics of truly great men. They are always themselves. They don’t strive to draw unnecessary attention to themselves, yet they are noticed. Similarly, they don’t mind humbling themselves doing “menial” jobs that they know will take them to greater height.

When you are humble enough, and you think your own thoughts, without listening to the suggestion of others, you will achieve great success in life.

In times of adversity, your degrees and certificates may not be relevant, but what is relevant is humility, because that is what you need to climb to the top.

3.  Be Adaptable

We are not created to be like the fish which can live only in the water. We are created to thrive under all conditions, whether in times of prosperity or adversity.

Bagina made it back to the top because he was able to adapt to the worse conditions brought about by the Rwandan civil war.

To be adaptable, you must learn to endure hardship. It is real hardship for a hotel manager to turn to taxi driving, but he had to do that in order to overcome the adversity.

Remember, adversity is for a while. “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.” (Eccl. 7:14)

Dear reader, when you think good thoughts: when you drop your pride: and when you become adaptable to changing economic situation, you will be victorious in the midst of adversity!

Go and be victorious today!