Why You Should Welcome Adversity

In an experiment on biodiversity, a controlled environment was created in the desert under a large glass dome.  The idea was to experiment with growing conditions to determine which was the optimal one.  People lived in this biodome and things went well.  There was one strange exception, however.  Once they grew to a certain height, trees in the dome would topple over and die.

It took the scientists in charge of the experiment a long time to eventually figure out that the reason the trees fell over was because the biodome was not perfect.  It lacked one element: wind!  With no wind, the trees did not establish deep enough roots to push back against it and they fell over.  The trees needed the adversity of being pushed by wind to grow strong enough to survive.

The great thing is humans are exactly the same.  We grow the most in adversity.  When we are handed things that we have not worked for, we become soft and out of practice very quickly.  We rely on easier and easer environments as we became less able to deal with adversity over time.

We also do not value things that we have not earned as much.  We are much more likely to value a car we bought ourselves rather than one that was given to us.  It is also true that adversity makes us more resilient and stronger.  We build muscle when we push back against difficult situations.  It could be actual muscle from having to do physical work or it could be psychological muscle from overcoming challenges or even mental muscle from learning new skills.

The main thing is that we should be seeking out adversity rather than trying to steer clear of it, or else we could lose the ability to deal with it, like trees with no wind.

Remember that a diamond is subjected to huge pressures when it is a piece or carbon, but once it is done, it is a beautiful, sparkling object of immense value.

Tackle adversity head-on and watch your muscles grow and improve.