How Do You Deal With Adversity By: Deanna Mascle

How Do You Deal With Adversity


"We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival."
~ Winston Churchill

I remember reading some time ago about a study of longevity in humans. There has been a large body of scientific research into the reasons why some people are long-lived but of course while various diets, health regimes, and regional or ethnic differences are often linked to living long it is a very difficult cause and effect relationship to determine because there are so many other variables involved. However the study I remember didn't spend as much time on health and diet as many others. The researchers spent time observing and interviewing a number of people who are living long lives to determine what common factors these very diverse people shared.

Do you know what the single largest factor they all shared -- the trait that the researchers determined played the largest role in their long lives? It wasn't a specific food or faith or daily activity. It was simply the way these folks dealt with adversity.

The ways that these folks dealt with adversity did vary. Some had great religious faith, others had an unquenchable zest for life, and others had a great determination that they could and would overcome and difficulty.

If you think about it then this does seem to make sense. After all, the longer you live then the more adversity you must overcome. Human life is fraught with adversity -- both physical and emotional -- although each person's experience varies greatly. In order to survive adversity, to overcome loss and difficulty, and to succeed in life a person must have inner resources to draw from.

As Oliver Wendell Holmes says: "If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it round. Trouble creates a capacity to handle it. I don't embrace trouble; that's as bad as treating it as an enemy. But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it."

Most of us have seen the evidence of this even if we have never formulated a scientific theory about it. We have seen the cancer patient diagnosed and then does not even live out the time doctors predicted. We have seen the heart patient diagnosed who far outlives expectations -- by months and then years. What makes the difference between these two groups of people? I believe it has to be a will to live, some inner resource, that one group possesses and the other does not.

A few weeks ago my Uncle Carl's left hand was amputated after being injured in an accident with a log splitter. It was devastating to those who love him and certainly no one would have blamed him for becoming depressed and grieving.

But Carl hasn't chosen that path. Instead he is focused on what he can do, not on what he can't. And if he discovers something that he can't do one-handed then he puts his considerable problem-solving abilities to work on a solution. He isn't simply reacting to a tragic accident but proactively seeking solutions.

He is not a saint. He complains about the pain and discomfort of the healing process and is sometimes frustrated by the trial-and-error process of his problem-solving, but he is not wasting time feeling sorry for himself. He knows he has been given many gifts and those gifts include the ability to solve problems and overcome adversity.

I can only hope when my time comes to face adversity that I can meet it with as much energy, determination, and confidence.

About the Author:
You can enjoy more inspirational articles by Deanna Mascle at dawggone.net, justfolks.net, and http;//officialwisdom.com.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleGarden.com

Finding A New Job Quickly By Arthur Cooper

Today’s working environment is unpredictable. Economic downturns can arrive at any moment. Redundancy can swiftly follow. No-one is fully immune, and severance payoffs do not last for ever.

If you found yourself in that situation tomorrow could you cope? If you had to find yourself another job quickly in order to pay the bills, could you do it?

Here are the steps to follow.

1.Identify Your Skills
2.Analyse Your List
3.Identify The Job Sources
4.Take Action

1.Identify Your Skills

Think hard about what you are good at, and about what you enjoy. Since you usually enjoy what you do well, the two are often the same. Think back over your career to date and dig deep into the experiences you have had and the skills you
have acquired.

List them all on paper. Leave nothing out. Be as objective and honest as you can. Don’t put something down just because you think it is what you need in today’s employment market place. Only put it down if it is a skill that you have here
and now. Don’t forget, you are looking here at how to get a job quickly. You are not planning your long term training needs.

Think in terms of three main divisions of skill and divide up your list accordingly.

Firstly there are physical skills.

These are skills of aptitude, of working with your hands, manipulative skills, mechanical skills. These are skills required in a wide range of manual and hands-on jobs. Sometimes these skills have been acquired by way of a hobby
rather than paid employment, but a hobby that can at some stage become the grounding for a new career doing something that you really enjoy. Don’t ignore these leisure-acquired skills.

Secondly there are knowledge based skills.

These are academic skills gained by formal study. These are skills gained as a result of book learning and training courses. These are specific technical skills related to a particular function. This is specialist knowledge absorbed
as a result of working in a particular industry.

Thirdly there are people skills.

These are the team skills, the relational skills, the ability to get on with and work with other people. These are the skills of management. The skills of leading a team, the skills of winning arguments and convincing others.

2.Analyse Your List.

Now look at your list. See where you strengths lie. Think what you would like to do using those strengths. Decide on the job you would like using those strengths.

Be honest. Once again you must remember that your objective is to get another job in the shortest possible delay. Don’t base your hopes on skills you would like to have. Plan on using what you already have.

If your main skills are manual, base your plans on this. If you are more suited to a technical analytical job, go in this direction. If your aptitudes lie towards managing people and getting the best from a team, steer yourself that way. Play to your strengths.

3.Identify the sources

The easiest way to find jobs these days is on the internet. Just enter ‘job site’ or ‘employment agency’ or ‘job search’ into your search engine and see what you get. Your problem will be restricting the results to a manageable size. Limit your research by country or city or industry as appropriate in order to cut it down.

If you have a particular company in mind look on its web site if it has one. Companies often advertise vacancies there.

Look too at the principal newspapers of the geographic region in which you are looking. Again this could be country or it could be city. They can be a good source.

Finally there are your local agencies at which you can enrol.

4.Take Action.

This is when it all comes together.

Put your CV onto as many online jobsites as you can. It will be found by potential employers who will then come to you. This puts your name and qualifications up before a large number of employers quickly and easily.

Search the sites and newspapers and apply to as many job offers as meet your criteria. Adapt your CV to suit each application emphasising the particular skills and experience requested. Play the numbers game. If it looks suitable – apply. (But don’t waste your time on jobs that don’t fit
your qualities).

Don’t be afraid to send out speculative letters to companies you like. You can often strike lucky, and your application is more likely to be seen when writing in this way.

Above all, keep going. Don’t give up. By knowing exactly what you are looking for and targeting your applications you stand a good chance of success.

In conclusion.

If you have not yet been forced to look for a new job it would not do you any harm to carry out the exercise of examining your skills. You will at least be forearmed should the need arise.

If you have lost your previous job, try to look on your situation as an opportunity rather than a disaster. This could be your chance to set out again in the direction you really want to go instead of carrying on indefinitely stuck in the rut into which you previously fell more by accident than design.

About The Author

Arthur Cooper is a consultant, writer and publisher.
For his mini-course ‘How To Get The Job You Want’, go to:http://www.barrel-publishing.com/how_to_get_the_job_you_want.shtml