The higher you set your sights in life, the more adversity you can expect to encounter. Adversity, however, can be one of life’s best teachers. So instead of shrinking from it, embrace it and learn from it.

"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." These words, spoken by the great Babe Ruth more than three-quarters of a century ago, still ring true today. One of the most prolific hitters in the history of baseball with 714 home runs, Ruth also faced plenty of adversity during his career, including 1,330 strikeouts.
"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run," he said, proving that failure is nothing more than feedback and preparation for the next success.

Turning adversity into useful tools is often a simple matter of reframing it, or looking at it from a different perspective. Take these steps the next time you face a difficult situation to transform it from adversity to asset:

• Accept it. Don’t dwell on the negative; acknowledge what has happened and move on.
• Look for the lesson. There is learning in everything, although it’s not always obvious.
• Adjust your filter. We all bring our personal filters to every situation. Is yours negative (life is hard, I can’t win, nothing is going right) or positive (life is an adventure, I’m open to new possibilities, failure is feedback)?
• Release the expected; embrace the unexpected. In The Road Less Traveled, author Scott Peck theorizes that life is difficult only for those who expect it to be easy. Look at life’s surprises as gifts and find ways to utilize them.
• Lighten up. Even in the face of adversity, you can find plenty of things to celebrate. Balance stress and seriousness with inner happiness and gratitude.