In the face of adversity, how are you going to respond? Adversity is something that we will all go through. No matter how fortunate you are in life, at one point or another, you're going to go through adversity. It's something that we're not going to avoid no matter how hard we try. So I want you meditate and think about how you'll respond.

My biggest concern is not about whether or not you will run from adversity. Because the fact of the matter is that even if you try to run from adversity, it will find you. You WILL be faced with it whether you like it or not - so running from adversity is not an option. You will face it and life will test you to make sure you respond to it correctly.

Although we can't run, we can properly addressing the issue. This is probably the most common route that people take when faced with adversity. People in this day in age do not to face adversity head on. We live in a age where we avoid dealing with conflict. We allow things to happen and we let them build over until they spill over they become someone else's problem.

This can be seen in nearly every aspect of life. In a relationship, its much more common for one to ignore "minor" annoyances. Until these annoyances build up and drive one partner away from the other partner. Then when the issue spills over, it becomes a matter for the divorce court to handle as opposed to handling them yourself.

Failure to deal with adversity is a result of unwillingness to accept responsibility. As an adult - as man - it's up to you accept responsibility for the shortcomings and hardships you face in life. No matter how controversial it is - no matter how many other people or circumstance that you can point the blame to - it is ultimately your responsibility. It is your life. Other's don't give a damn about how content you are with life, so its up to you to take responsibility and shape your life how you want to.

Of course there are things that you cannot avoid (some health problems, some issues from your childhood, etc), but your response to this adversity and how much you let it affects your life is up to you.

When we avoid dealing with adversity, it shows up in different aspects of your life. Issues from your work life become manifested in your home life. Anger from your childhood comes out in your adult life. Issues from an old relationship rise up in new relationships. The reason that issues in one aspect of life transfer into other areas is because of our failure to deal with these issues when they arise. When we don't deal with an issue, it becomes obvious for those who read into why people are the way they are.

Of course, the biggest reason we avoid properly handling issues is FEAR. Proactively handling issues as the moment they arise takes courage. Why? Because you end up dealing with all of the negative repercussion up front. When we have to go through a uncomfortable experience, it's natural for us to want to delay the feeling. However, logic would tell us to deal with the issue up front.

When we delay and uncomfortable experience, such as the effect of properly dealing with adversity, we do ourselves a disservice. It increases our stress level. The stress then compounds and creates other issues. Moreover when we do not handle our problems correctly, they gain momentum, building up speed until it becomes a wrecking ball headed towards your life.

When we decide to deal with our problems in the face of adversity, yes you will reap the consequences, but the consequences will be less severe. By dealing with issues as they arise, you experience less pain in the long run.

If you're a man - if you truly want to grow - you must start embracing adversity. You must be willing to handle your problems as they come up. I cannot tell you what the problems are that you must face, but you know them. Whether it is a problem that just arose, or something you've avoided for some time - face it.

That's my challenge for each of you, and you'll be a better man because of it.