How to Overcome and Transform Adversity

Here are a couple of posts on overcoming and transforming adversity from last year and 5 years ago (on FB). I hope you find them useful:

"Never, but NEVER, give up!"

"If you're going through hell, keep going!"

-Churchill.

My horrible flexibility and bike position, even back then ... Thank God I had strong legs! Me in a race at age 20 ... And below is my Post while I was recovering from a severe back injury 4 years ago.

I was told by two surgeons that I needed back surgery four years ago, that I would never run again or bike again and one said I'd never even swim laps again.

One year later, I was running and swimming and I hiked three mountain passes in Colorado with a 30 lb backpack.

And for the last year, I've been back on my bike. This morning I rode 30 mi. Over the weekend I rode 52 mi in a single ride.

Hard.

I never had surgery.

I've noticed that many people are suffering with physical and emotional pain, which only has increased with COVID And the stay at home order, not to mention a society often driven to self-destructive, rather than life-enhancing, behaviors.

You CAN use your mind to change your body and emotional states... And change your life.

I had no idea if I could do it or not. I'd never seen it done before.

Today, my back feels totally normal, even during extreme exertion at 54 years of age. Despite having injured it at 26 and having had huge problems for over 2 decades, culminating in that brutally painful period 4 years ago, I'm now healthy and back to the life I love.

I'm not special. Maybe lucky. But I also made my luck by being incredibly focused on healing of both the body and mind.

If I can do it, you can do it.

Let me know if I can help.

Here’s the original from 5 years ago:

"What is to give light must endure burning." -Viktor Frankl

SETBACK DAY: Its all about DETERMINATION.

When I was 20, in my second bike race ever, on a 1 mile course we'd ride 25 times, there was a crash in front of me on the very first lap. To avoid the crash, I was forced off the road.

By the time I got back on, I was chasing the pack.

Solo.

No team to share blocking the wind. Just me, alone, facing the wind, while the pack cruised along ahead of me.

I chased for another 24 laps. Somehow, in a clear demonstration of heart over physical ability, I caught the pack just before the finish.

After the race, I was lying on the ground, utterly spent and breathless. The captain of the team stood over me and said, "you're the most tenacious son of a b---- I've ever met," and walked away."

This is what determination is all about. Focus. On. The. Process. On. This. Moment.

2 steps forward, one step back. When dealing with any challenge, there always will be setbacks. Every path has its obstacles; they are a natural and necessary part of any path (otherwise, it wouldn't be a path; there would be nothing to overcome). We can let it get us down: "ugh, I'm feeling like crap today. I was feeling so much better yesterday. I can't believe I'm moving backwards" . . . that is a CHOICE. OR, we can CHOOSE to focus on the reality that NO line to success is straight. There always are setbacks, they're just part of the journey towards our goals.

So today, on my setback day, I CHOOSE to keep positive, focus my attention on how much better I feel today than i did a few days ago, rather than on how its not as good as yesterday or on how much it hurts, how tired I am since I didn't sleep well or any other negative aspect. How would that serve me?

Today I CHOOSE to focus on the process, not the goal - to understand this is part of it and that being strong through the tougher days, not capitulating (mentally or physically, by doing stupid things that will only set me back further) gets me closer to my goals faster. I CHOOSE to have a strong and HAPPY mindset each day, regardless of external circumstances. It is as it is, I cannot change this moment. There are ALWAYS obstacles on our path; its by working through them that we grow. So my only rational CHOICE is to work diligently, doing my exercises like clockwork, mindfully maintaining proper posture at all times, not getting lazy and doing something stupid like breaking posture to "just pick up this one thing from the floor" in a weak position. NO! I am strong, this is not me, it is just a test that I am passing and succeeding at every moment of every day.

Set your goals, focus on the process. Work diligently, accept setbacks as part of the process and handle them exactly as you would handle things when it "feels" like things are going great. And be grateful for all that is.

Its up to you. Make it a great day.