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Adversity

I was listening to the chief rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, talking about the lessons he had learnt from adversity.  He was saying that when he stopped asking “Why me?” and changed his question to “What should I learn from this?” he found he could move on in his life.

We all make mistakes; we all have things happen to us that try & challenge us, but many of us get stuck in feeling a victim, or battered by fate.  Asking “What can I learn from this?” is much more empowering response. 

It is not necessarily a case of Life seeking to teach us lessons, but rather creating a space for an inner dialogue which allows our inner voice to speak to us.  Rabbi Sacks felt that he heard God’s voice in this; I think it is okay  to interpret this howsoever works for you.  The power of the process works.

Whether in your personal or business life, take the time to learn from your mistakes.  Of course, if you are smart, you will also learn from the mistakes of others too!  Bon Chance!

“The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.”  Edward Phelps

“If a mistake is not a stepping stone, it is a mistake.”  Eli Siegel

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 20th, 2009 at 17:33 and is filed under Business Change, Personal Change, Values & Philosophy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Adversity”

  1. Vanessa Warwick says:
    20 March , 2009 at 21:56

    I like that. There is growth in adversity as we are challenged. Life starts at the end of your comfort zone!

    My husband and I chartered a yacht in the Caribbean at a time when the Grenadines were experiencing unusual and severe weather conditions. We had several near-death experiences with massive waves, dragging anchor in the middle of the night in a storm, and arriving at sunset in the Tobago Cays and not being able to anchor because the wind was so strong. It was like a living nightmare! I couldn’t sleep at night for fear that the anchor would drag, the winds were so strong. The boat we chartered was also a death trap as there are no health and safety laws in the Caribbean.

    However, we lived to tell the tale, and we came out of it much better sailors. If it had been “plain sailing” all the way, we would not have improved our skills.

  2. richardderwentcooke says:
    21 March , 2009 at 00:25

    Thanks Vanessa for a great, practical example of this

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