How do we find opportunity from the struggle or challenge? You seek the solutions necessary to achieve success rather than praise the problems that confront you.

I once heard the following, “Ask the majority of men and women who have done great things in the world to what they owe their strength, their breadth of mind, and the diversity of experience that has enriched their lives. They will tell you that these are the fruits of struggle; that they acquired their finest discipline, their best character drill, in the effort to escape from an uncongenial environment; to break the bonds that enslaved them; to obtain an education; to get away from poverty; to carry out some cherished plan; to reach their ideal, whatever it was.”

You see, every blessing you enjoy has been obtained through the learning path of adversity. Yes, as Benjamin Disraeli once noted, “There is no education like adversity.”

Business has its ups and downs. You have periods of great business growth and times when you must do everything to hold onto every piece of business that you can. You have a choice during these times: to focus on what you have lost or to focus on what you currently have. It is a choice that determines, without hesitation, your success.

The philosopher Horace noted, “The very difficulty of a problem evokes abilities or talents which would otherwise, in happy times, never emerge to shine.”

Before the Civil War, Edmund McIlhenny operated a sugar plantation and a salt works in Louisiana. Yankee troops invaded the area in 1863 and he had to flee. When he returned in 1865, his sugar fields and salt works were ruined.

One of the few things left were some hot Mexican peppers that had re-seeded themselves in the kitchen garden. McIlhenny, who was living hand to mouth, started experimenting with the ground peppers to make a sauce that would liven up his dull diet. His newfound sauce is known today as Tabasco sauce. To this day, almost 150 years later, the McIlhenny Company and its Tabasco business is still run by the family. Edmund McIlhenny sought solutions and found opportunity. He did not praise his problems. He used adversity as the springboard for success that continues today. Remember, “Life doesn’t do anything to you; it only reveals your spirit.”

So, are you ready to have greatness spring from adversity?

What are the challenges you are now facing:

competition?
balance in your life?
personal accountability?
poor health or physical condition?
the feeling that you are in a no-win situation or cannot achieve your goals?

Are you allowing this adversity to become a stepping stone for success or a stumbling block that will surely trip you up along life’s pathway? It all comes down to the simple decision of seeking a solution versus praising the problem. It is a personal choice and one without doubt that will determine your satisfaction in life and your success in achieving your goals.

Remember, these hardships will make you who and what you are or can become. Just like Edmund McIlhenny, you can worry about the sugar plantation and salt works you lost or you can create Tabasco sauce and build success for generations. Be thankful for adversity…it just may be the beginning of truly realizing your potential!