“Adversity has struck!” That is often the cry from a relatively short-time transforming challenger when something comes up that causes a setback in his or her efforts to do the best challenge they can. Following that, there is usually a cascade of endless advice from others about how to best deal with the bad hand the person has been dealt.

All this assumes that adversity is bad, is unwanted, unwelcomed and unprofitable.  But the truth is, adversity can actually end up being one of the best things that ever happened to the challenger.

Adversity comes along for several reasons. Sometimes, it is from poor planning or no planning. When I forget my food at home, that is adversity to me, though to others it might be an invitation to go somewhere and eat out. Most adversity that comes from lousy planning or forgetfulness is really not for any creative purpose. The best that can usually be made of it is an example, that example being one that hopefully does not repeat itself. 

Adversity that comes about through no fault of the trainee but due to the efforts of one of his family members is best used as a welcome lesson to the trainee. What is the lesson? The lesson of course is that you can control only yourself. You cannot control the behavior of others, though you can certainly influence it. And, people respond to positive influence better than they do negative influence. In fact, your problem with a family member proves that. Had they exerted positive rather than negative influence on you in the way of their behavior we wouldn’t even be talking about this.

Here’s what you do when it’s not your fault. You simply forgive. If you believe in the power of prayer, it is certainly the best step to ask your Creator to help place a forgiving spirit in you. The rest is all action steps on your part. You must actively forgive this person by acting that way. Simply make any amends that might be needed because of your overreaction to their behavior, apologize for it as well, and then take the action steps to forgive them by simply treating them as though they had done absolutely nothing to you. Do something especially nice for them that they absolutely don’t deserve, and treat them like royalty. And, understand that this is for YOU, not them!
 
Adversity, when treated properly, can be one of the best experiences of a challenge. Not one of the most welcome experiences, but one of those things that helped to hone and harden you into the fitness athlete you’ve always wanted to be, with a disciplined mind and a loving spirit.