I was in awe reading the story of a Detroit man who would walk 21 miles round trip every day to and from his factory job because his car wasn’t working. Stories of individuals overcoming adversity to reach unimaginable success excite me. These stories light a fire in my heart that provide motivation in my own personal journey. Resilience in the Achiever’s skill-set helps navigate adversity, avoid unhealthy patterns and build support systems that allow people to tap into their inner strength.
Two actors I admired most growing up, overcame enormous adversity to achieve the success they prepared for early in their lives. I identified with one personally because we came into this world in the same manner. He was born prematurely and so was I, and we were not expected to live. His parents eked out a meager living selling tomatoes in the Bahamas. They crossed the Florida straits to Miami in a sailboat and Sidney Poitier who would become an Oscar award winning actor was born. Without any real skills, he survived by moving to New York and working as a janitor and dishwasher. With an interest in theater, he attended an audition and was embarrassed because he couldn’t read the script. Leaving the audition, he was determined to improve his diction by listening to the announcer on the radio. He spent hours repeating the words from the radio until he perfected them. His life really changed when an elderly Jewish waiter took a liking to him and stayed with him every night after work, teaching him how to read. My admiration also turned to Harry Belafonte who was born in New York and like Sidney, fell in love with the arts. The two quickly became friends and although financially struggling, they regularly purchased a single seat to local plays and traded places in between acts after informing the other about the progression of the play. Working together they overcame an obstacle.
Resilient people look at the difficulties of life as simple problems as opposed to roadblocks. Resilient people develop courage to take action regardless of the fear they feel inside. They align themselves with people who have similar mindsets for achieving success. Training yourself to be resilient can be a powerful resource.