Jeff and Jon's Excellent Adventure

This is part two of a four-part series about adversity and how we surmount difficult challenges. Last time, I described the need to develop the ability to engage in objective assessment of both ourselves and the difficult professional and personal situations that we encounter. Assessment, however, is only the first step. As a general rule, humans are social beings. While many of us crave quiet moments and “alone time,” it is not in most people’s nature to remain solitary all of the time.

Yet, when we find ourselves in those moments of fear and inaction—times when we feel like we have to start over and have no idea where to begin—too many among us withdraw. Rather than seeking help from our friends and our peers, our instincts may cause us to feel that we are completely alone.

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This post will be the first of a four-part series about overcoming adversity. Over the years, I have experienced my fair share of struggles—as all people have done—in both my professional and personal life. In recent months, I have spent some time engaged in reflection upon various challenges and the means through which I have attempted to overcome them.

I am certainly neither a psychologist nor a therapist. However, I have observed that there are four broad categories of skills that many people, myself included, use successfully to get from point A to point B when facing obstacles, both big and small. In this Tackling Adversity series, I will address each of these skills and provide real-world examples of how I have seen them used to make a difference.

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