There is no doubt, members of disability communities worldwide experienced varying degrees of hardships in the height of the coronavirus pandemic. I was no exception. People were forced to leave their jobs. Businesses shut down, and individuals’ freedom was significantly curtailed. In fact, a number of deaf, including yours truly did face the wrath of the law for breaking the law we knew nothing of—because we were deaf and unaware of new information.
There were a lot of hardships of various kinds, particularly for members of the disability community in Nigeria who are usually thought to be the most vulnerable group in times of insecurity and uncertainty, who are also almost always a minority in whatever locale we inhabit—folks who struggle with high unemployment rates, low access to education, and difficulty engaging within their larger, non-disabled communities.
But we can look back and be proud of the wins we made of these hardships. Today, we can, yet, make a determination to turn our adversities into opportunities.
If you wanted to know how every world power and civilization had risen to supremacy, there’s no better place to begin than looking at some of the greatest adversities and disasters that had confronted each of the empires.
From the prehistoric time of Mesopotamia to the era of Ancient Greece, to modern times of the British Empire and Prussia-Germany— up to the present United States of America, nation after the nation had risen to power when they had faced the greatest problems and perils that almost destroyed them without any trace. In fact, in individual lives, ordinary people and organizations have only become legends in the face of stupendous personal disasters unimaginable.
Tragedies and great misfortunes have been the most common themes and patterns that are unique to NATION AND POWER, ORGANIZATION AND PROSPERITY, and MAN AND GREATNESS.
If there’s anything that we have learned from the history of world power and civilization, it is that we cannot have greatness and prosperity without equaled challenges and adversities. But it is how we choose to respond to our challenges that matter. We have a responsibility to choose to remain positive and unlock our creativity, and band together as a people to beat the test of time.
Or we may choose to continually complain and cause further pains and regrets for ourselves. But if we did that, we would be causing more harm and missing opportunities. We would mess ourselves up.
We can choose to respond to the impacts of COVID-19 by shaking off pains and hardships and stick together and surge forward to meet the challenges of our time–despite the indifferences of the world and our own idiosyncrasies.
We must choose to respond to the painful past—the shutdowns and ‘lockdowns’ in the country (the no-work, no-cash realities, the scarcity, hunger, and frustration) by reminding ourselves of our powers and God-given abilities to rise above our adversities.
Here are seven strategies to surge into the future.
- Embrace it. The first and best way to begin fighting through any life ambush is to embrace your current reality as opposed to denying it or retreating to the confines of your comfort zone. Don’t hide your vulnerability. When life knocks you down hard, find the root cause, own it, and lean in.
- Master your emotions.
Emotional intelligence is critical for maintaining self-discipline. If you don’t master your emotions, your emotions will master you. The best way to become the master of your emotions is to start experiencing your emotions on a physical level. Notice what happens when you get triggered by something or someone and mentally note what emotions are arising. Being self-aware and naming your emotions are impactful ways to give your feelings less power.
- Be grateful.
Life threw you a curveball? Good! Use it as an opportunity to grow and gain a new perspective. Showing gratitude for your struggles defuses their impact and transforms the mind – moving from the analysis paralysis of “why me?” to action-oriented execution.
- Develop a growth mindset.
People who are able to overcome challenges with grace possess a growth mindset. They choose the mindset of a champion. They don’t believe that their intelligence is fixed. Instead, they embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, see effort as the path to mastery, and learn from feedback. The adversity of any kind can be very difficult to overcome. Nobody wants to experience hardships in life. However, if you never experienced pain, you would never understand peace.
- Cling to your purpose.
Or find a new one. Purpose and passion are necessary weapons for the battlefield of life. They further fuel the necessary emotional connection to goals and desired outcomes. Sometimes things happen beyond your control, and that can knock the wind out of your sails. But if you’re working towards something meaningful to you, you’ll always find a way to forge ahead.
- Maintain confidence in your capabilities.
People who rebound from adversity begin by believing they are capable of finding a way forward. If you feel hopeless and powerless, it’s unlikely you’ll find a way to be successful. Be willing to leverage your talents – or maybe even develop new skills – then know you will crush this challenge and many more to come.
- Reflect and move on.
There is a massive difference between reflecting and dwelling. Reflection is done with intent. It has a purpose. When adversity strikes, do the following: (1) embrace your reality, (2) take stock of resources and threats, (3) apply any possible lessons learned from previous experiences, (4) develop a plan of action, (5) commit to a direction, and (6) move forward with conviction.