Making Lemonade Out of Lemons  

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No life is without adversity at one time or another, and how you handle it will determine your outcome. How you perceive the obstacle matters. Many people see adversity as an indicator that they did something wrong, whereas others see it as an opportunity to grow. As Bruce Gleeson stated in his article “11 Ways to Turn Adversity Into Opportunity,” “The true secret to success is the ability to embrace adversity as a chance to change ourselves and our situation.”   

But how does one create opportunity amid difficult situations?  

  1. Check your mindset: How are you viewing the current situation? Is it overwhelming you and leaving you stuck, or is it a way to change?  
  1. Locus of control: Dr. Anet Varghese refers to locus of control as an “individuals generalized expectancy or belief as to whether events in their lives are controlled by their behavior and abilities (internal locus of control) or by external forces such as powerful others, chance, fate or luck (external locus of control).” In other words, do you see the situation with things you can control, or are you a victim of external influences? The key is to look at what is within your control and focus your energies there.  
  1. Set goals: What goals can you set to help you get through adversity when it hits? How can you develop a positive mindset over your current situation? Become aware of your thoughts and embrace positive, empowering beliefs about your ability to succeed.  
  1. Identify others who overcame adversity: See what they did and how they overcame the challenges they faced.   
  1. Support: Surround yourself with people who support you and can help you when you feel overwhelmed.  
  1. Nurture optimism: Look back at your life and other times you faced adversity. How did you succeed then?  

Everyone faces adversity in their lives. It can become tempting to just throw in the towel and quit. Don’t give up! Use this as an opportunity to become a better version of yourself. When you receive feedback from others, think of how you might use this as fuel. See this adversity as a blip in the road and use it to learn more about yourself and your strengths and use these skills to your advantage. Who knows what overcoming these situations might bring to your life? 

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Beth Sears provided her time and expertise to assist us in resolving a difficult and emotionally charged situation regarding our next work season in Africa … Beth was able first to empower us to honor the fact that there was major conflict in our thinking and helped us define a process to deal with the differing opinions. … In our final meeting, it was amazing to see the most entrenched and angry member of the group changed their demeanor. We came to a fine resolution and are a stronger body because of the experience. Beth deserves much credit for guiding and encouraging us and giving us the tools to meet our challenges. I recommend her work without hesitation.
Nancy Joiner Reinert | Chair, Communications Committee | Water for Sudan (Now Water for South Sudan)
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