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“The trials and pressures of life—and how we face them—often define us.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book, Beyond Talent (p. 131). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Oh, and we have those, don’t we?  So, how does how we face them make a difference?

John says, “Confronted by adversity, many people give up while others rise up. How do those who succeed do it? They persevere. They find the benefit to them personally that comes from any trial. And they recognize that the best thing about adversity is coming out on the other side of it. There is a sweetness to overcoming your troubles and finding something good in the process, however small it may be.

“I came across a poem by Howard Goodman called ‘I Don’t Regret a Mile’ that expresses this idea well. It says, in part:

            I’ve dreamed many a dream that’s never come true,
            I’ve seen them vanish at dawn,
            But enough of my dreams have come true
            To make me keep dreaming on
            I’ve prayed many a prayer that seemed no answer would come,
            Though I’d waited so patient and long;
            But enough answers have come to my prayers
            To make me keep praying on

            I’ve sown many a seed that’s fallen by the wayside,
            For the birds to feed upon
            But I’ve held enough golden sheaves in my hands
            To make me keep sowing on

            I’ve trusted many a friend that’s failed me
            And left me to weep alone
            But enough of my friends have been true-blue
            To make me keep trusting on

            I’ve drained the cup of disappointment and pain,
            And gone many a day without a song
            But I’ve sipped enough nectar from the roses of life
            To make me want to live on 

Giving up when adversity threatens can make a person bitter. Persevering through adversity makes one better.

I want the better instead of the bitter, don’t you?

Yes, yes!

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