Quit, Camp or Climb?

Think about this: Adversity is one of the most potent forces in life. It shapes your character, clarifies your priorities, and defines your path. It can also fuel your greatness. Each of us faces a rich assortment of adversities every day, ranging from minor hassles to major setbacks and challenges, even tragedies.

Yeesh, that's a little heavy, right? But, have you heard of The Adversity Advantage, a book by Paul Stoltz and Erik Weihenmayer?

It's a scintillating, addicting tale of a boy, who as a young teenager, was rendered blind. That'd be enough to turn anyone towards bitterness and anger, but Erik Weihenmayer didn't feed those feelings.  Instead, he climbed the seven highest mountain peaks in the world - including Everest, and his message is one of clarity, adventure, hope, and optimism.  Even though it isn't always easy, it sounds like a pretty good idea to me!

Check out Erik's poignant, succinct metaphors that deeply resonate with me and hopefully with you, too.  We proceed into a world with adversity at every turn; let's triumph!

Are you a Quitter, a Camper, or a Climber?

Quitters have a limited capacity for challenge and change and tend to blame others, become overwhelmed, and allow adversity to endure longer than necessary.

Campers have some capacity for challenge and change, but tend to let adversity wear them down, resort to blame when tense or tired, and lose hope and faith when adversity is high.

Climbers have a tremendous capacity for challenge and change.  They tend to be resilient and tenacious, focus on solutions over blame, and be trusting and agile.  

I can only hope that I embody a Climber day-to-day, but let's be honest, life can get sticky, and there will always be challenges and opportunities for improvement.  Slipping into Camper (or even Quitter) Tendencies isn't failure, but I know if I can learn from my mistakes or weakness, I'll climb right back up.

So, I must ask you:  How do you adapt to adversity?  Are you a Quitter, a Camper, or a Climber?