Tag Archives: adversity

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Six Steps to Overcoming Adversity and Helplessness

Grant practically leaped out of his car as he arrived for our third coaching session.

Over the previous two days, I’d been walking with him to help him overcome adversity and learned helplessness. If you missed those two sessions, check out part one and part two now. You’ll want to read them first.

In today’s session I would share with him the last three steps to overcoming adversity and helplessness. I’ll let you listen in our conversation below.

Overcoming adversity and helplessness Your voices will argue with you. Argue back. Make your negative voices the enemy. (Tweet That) | Share this Graphic on Pinterest | Share on Facebook

After a little small talk, we dove into the topic of the day. I recapped the first three steps from the day before:

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Dead End or Catalyst? 6 Steps to Overcoming Adversity and Helplessness

Yesterday I wrote:

Helplessness is learned. We learn it from our own experiences and from others. It’s not something that is ingrained in us. There is a way out. What separates those who react well from those who don’t is their conditioning. The good news is you can recondition yourself. You can overcome your learned helplessness.

That’s what I told Grant after he came to me at the end of his rope.

So how do you recondition yourself to handle adversity? How do you overcome helplessness and use problems as catalysts rather than allow them to be dead ends?

There are six steps that I shared with Grant that I am now sharing with you. They will recondition you to make most of difficult times.

Overcoming adversity quote Champions in sports, in business, and in life use adversity to their advantage. Find out how. (Tweet That) | Share this Graphic on Pinterest | Share on Facebook

Grant had his list of things that made him feel helpless ready when we met again. (Remember, I had asked him and you to make your list. Did you? If not, stop now and think through that.)

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Learning to Overcome Adversity | Psychology of Learned Helplessness

Did you know that helplessness is usually a learned state of being?

It is. We’re a lot like dogs in that regard. Grant’s story illustrates that for us.

“I am completely lost.” Grant said. “The economy is in shambles. I lost my job. This president…”

I stopped him right there.

Learned helplessness Adversity: What separates those who react well is conditioning. Good news: You can recondition yourself. (Tweet That) | Share this Graphic on Pinterest | Share on Facebook

“Grant, you feel helpless don’t you?” I asked him as compassionately as I know how.

“But I am helpless. You have no idea what it’s like to feel this way.”

“You’re right,” I stated matter-of-factly. “I don’t know what it’s like to feel exactly as you do.”

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Childlike Persistence

Average people use fatigue as an excuse to give up. Don’t be average! Perhaps you’ve set a goal and it seems so out of reach, it is impossible to conceive of achieving anymore. Your attempts to reach your goal started bad, got worse, and now you just want a fresh start. Maybe it started of great […]