Beat the Odds and Overcome
Fight through the Struggles of Adversity
“You gotta look for the good in the bad, the happy in the sad, the gain in your pain, and what makes you grateful not hateful.”-Karen Salmansohn
Someone once callously told me that I was just a statistic because I was an unwed mother. It stung but I refused to allow it to define me. I believed I was more than a statistic, no matter what anyone said, and I was right. I successfully completed a twenty-year military career and the person that called me a statistic was eventually kicked out of the military.
We want to believe that successful people were dealt a better hand in life. The truth is that many successful people have overcome incredible odds.
Take the incredibly resilient Elizabeth Smart, she was kidnapped from her home, raped, and tortured for nine months at just 14 years old. Today she is a wife, mother, and successful activist. How many people would have the strength to go on to create the life she has?
Many people have jumped over the hurdles of adversity and made it to the finished line. The key is to continue when you stumble, get up when you fall, and just keep going.
Learning to enjoy and cherish the gifts of life now is crucial to keeping momentum. Appreciating the gift of gratitude is one of the benefits of achieving success.
It’s easy to take the everyday miracles of life for granted. We don’t even think twice about the simple gifts of life until they are gone.
A curl of the lips in a sweet smile is made so much more precious in a world of masks. We can see the beauty of a hug or even just sitting shoulder to shoulder now more than ever.
Life is a series of cycles. Some days will be better than others. When tossed in the throes of a bitter cycle, hold on knowing a smoother round is coming.
Observe, appreciate and celebrate life one day at a time. Roll with the good as well as the bad and you’ll come out exactly where you’re meant to be.
“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.”-Shauna Niequist
