Approach To Adversity: Excuses or Opportunities?

Inevitability is a concept that I approach with caution because it tends to promote resignation and dissuades people from being actively involved in the operations of their lives. I hear certain expressions made such as, “It is what it is” or “What will be, will be” and such adages convey the idea that the state of our conditions are solely justified by our lack of control. Now, while I am not the biggest advocate of what we deem as “inevitable”, it would be mendacious for me to deny that inevitability does exist within some context of our lives.

One of these areas is that of adversity. It is by much experience and observation that I can wholeheartedly and confidently state that encountering adversity is, indeed, inevitable. I would wager that if you are reading this blog right now, you are probably experiencing some form of challenge or adversity as we speak…that could be the reason why you had an interest in reading this blog in the first place! While it is prudent to acknowledge that this inevitability does exist, the focal point in this piece is not to discuss or dispute the presence of adversity, rather the response to adversity. 

I am a proponent of addressing a problem, not esteeming a problem. A wound cannot heal properly unless it is first acknowledged. But once acknowledged it, it needs to be tended to, not just recognized over and over again. I have participated in meetings where a problem is presented in diverse ways, but by the end of the meeting, the only conclusion is that a problem does indeed exist. There was a general consensus that the desired result was not being achieved due to an obstacle, but I believe the hurdle itself should not be afforded the privilege of remaining in the spotlight. 

Challenges are a part of life. It is a variable that will not be changed, therefore the more important element to focus on is what we do with those challenges when they come. Subconsciously, we tend to see adversity or challenges through one of two filters: an opportunity or an excuse. I will define “opportunity” as a chance to grow or advance. On the other hand, an “excuse” can be defined as a reason to justify lack of growth and advancement. The filter that we embrace will either impede or facilitate our development. 

STAGES IN FACING CHALLENGES

When facing a challenge, we tend to go through 3 experiential stages: Intake, Process, and Response.

01 | INTAKE- Information is presented and received. This is simply the introduction to the dilemma and the acknowledgment of its presence. 

02 | PROCESS - The information that has been received is filtered through our perception. This is where we choose the filter in which the information is sifted. It is where we decide if we will view this situation as an opportunity or an excuse. 

03 | RESPONSE - This is the action that occurs subsequent to the processing stage. The result of the chosen filter will dictate the response to the information that has been taken in and processed. It will either be complaining about the information or seeking to find a resolution. 

MAKING EXCUSES

Complaining can be characterized by giving more attention or focus to what is wrong instead of what is right…what can’t be done instead of what can be done. If complaining is your initial response, then challenges can be used as an excuse for failure, lack of growth and stagnation. “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square!’”(Proverbs 26:13) 

This Scripture reference highlights the disposition of someone who refuses to take responsibility for their station in life and chooses rather to make excuses for why they are in the position that they are in. It is someone who habitually makes excuses. “I would be doing…(fill in the blank)…if it wasn’t for this obstacle (the lion in the road)”. Such a person will find themselves in a constant state of unfulfilled desire. Always wanting, yet never obtaining. 

SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY

The thought of taking a test was always daunting to me. A test in school was always viewed as something negative. The response when being informed that a test was coming was usually as such because of a lack of confidence in the material that I was being tested on. Normally, the pressure incurred was due to a lack of preparation or familiarity with the material. However, if I was confident about the subject matter that I was being tested on, then the response would’ve been different. The purpose of a test is to verify what you know. Most of us think of it as an instrument devised to cause failure, but that is not the intrinsic objective of a test. A test is designed to confirm that we are familiar or well acquainted with the subject matter.  

When we treat challenges as opportunities, it can build a perseverance rooted in an established foundation of character. We can only view challenges as opportunities when we are aware of what they can produce. A passage in the Bible states that the “testing of your faith produces patience”. The process of refinement is not a glamorous or often enjoyable experience. It is, however, one that adds value through the purging of impurities that would otherwise limit malleability and hinder aesthetics. Allowing ourselves to be molded and shaped by the apparent misfortune, the inconvenient delay or the perceived injustice can yield results within us that no other activity could accomplish and provide benefits that cannot be quantified. 

How we perceive the adversity or challenge will determine how we process, which impacts what we produce. What we produce reflects how we perceive and the cycle continues. Are you producing complaints or creating solutions? Are you making excuses or seizing opportunities? Will adversity be your stumbling block or repurposed to be your stepping stone?