Embrace the Struggle

The inspiration in today's blog comes from the great stoic philosopher Seneca.

Now, if you are a highly intellectual person like me, you may be asking some deep, probing questions such as:  Who is Seneca?  And, what the heck is a stoic philosopher?

Well, thanks to Google I'm gonna tell you.

Seneca was born in 4BC and trained in philosophy in Rome, which was the cultural center of the world at that time.  Seneca was a writer and political advisor to the emperor Nero in the early part of his reign.  

Here is one of the sayings of Seneca, which serves as our lesson for the day:  “No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely.  The fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.”

Seneca is basically saying that difficulty and struggle makes us stronger.  It prepares us for more difficulties that most certainly will come.  

I'm not suggesting that struggle and difficulty are something to enjoy or look forward to.  But rather than dreading or suffering through difficulties, view each challenge as an opportunity to strengthen yourself and your team.

Growth occurs only when we are tested… and your attitude towards the adversity your team is experiencing will have a tremendous impact on how they respond to it.