“Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
– Napoleon Hill
There’s a story I like to tell about Enterprise, Alabama’s strange monument that stands in the middle of their small town. The monument is a statue of a boll weevil. It’s probably the only monument in the world erected to an insect.
Surprisingly, it was erected because of the devastation the boll weevil caused to the cotton crops, Enterprise’s only economy.
Now why would a town honor this pest? If it had not been for the boll weevil, the local economy would have continued its unhealthy dependence on its one-crop, one-product economy. Until then everything depended entirely on cotton. When the boll weevil came in and began to destroy their crops, the farmers and all the other businesses that were reliant on the cotton were forced to recognize the need to diversify.
The boll weevil had actually done them a favor by destroying their crops. The town’s eggs were no longer stuffed in one “cotton basket.” They started raising hogs, peanuts, and other cash crops, and the entire area was better for it.
Those farmers of Enterprise, Alabama were able to see this “adversity” for what it really was – a great blessing.
Everything that happens can be a lesson, and every adversity can be a blessing.
Too often we see difficult times as something to avoid–we usually don’t see the benefits until much later…if at all.
It starts with becoming aware of the things you put up with that take away from your peace and harmony. All the little things don’t seem like much, but when added together create stress, and stop you from experiencing your true bliss.
Our lives are far more enjoyable if we view things that happen as just that–a happening. Remember, it is not what happens to us, but our response to what happens, that makes the difference in the quality of our lives.
“A happy person is not a person with a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.”
– Hugh Downs
You’ll never find a better sparring partner than adversity…
To Your Success,
Marla Brucker