Success rarely comes without any challenges or hurdles.  It is far too common to see people succeeding after a reasonable delay. So what’s so special about inspiring success stories? How to succeed when fighting against the odds?

Once in a while, we come across individuals who rose from anonymity and the depths of despair to become a scion of success and inspiration. These people succeed when the odds are stacked against them when the chips are down and all seems lost. This kind of success is sweeter than anything else in the world. Would you want to know how do they do it?

In order to know how to rise against the odds, we must know why most people cannot do the same.

Why do we give up?

People give up easily when the going gets tough because they are afraid of failure. We all come across a point in our lives when we fail numerous times and nothing we do seems to work for us. These are the times when we have to push ourselves the hardest and tap into our mental strength to see those failures eventually become a success.   It takes years of training to think positively and for the brain to have that mental strength. There is a lot of hard work involved and it is something that people are afraid of when it comes to following their dreams. No one is willing to put in the required time, effort, and patience to endure the hardships.

Until all people are willingly going to accept the fact that nothing comes without a price in this world, there will be fewer success stories and more people listening to them.  If you think you have little time to develop your mental strength owing to your regular job or any other work, think again! We all were given an equal number of hours and seconds in a day, it’s only a matter of some utilizing it to its best, while others just not being able to manage it properly.

We also give up because of being surrounded by discouraging emotions and people. Hearing negative things about our capabilities and that too on a consistent basis can lead many of us to actually believe in them and hence becoming weak enough to give up easily, sometimes, even without trying. You must develop a strong willpower to remain unaffected and immune to what others are saying. Plus, choosing your friends wisely can help a lot. Stick around people who are successful and have nothing but positivity to offer. Mere observation of such personalities can teach you a thing or two about fighting against the odds

Another big reason why our lives blow up in the face under tough circumstances is our lack of patience. It’s a huge struggle for us to be constantly patient especially when nothing seems to be going according to plans. Our impatience either makes us do something stupid or leads us to give up before the goal could have been achieved.  Changing this habit can make a lot of difference.

What needs to be done?

The first thing that one should do when a storm comes is hold the ground. The same is true for you as well. Instead of getting bogged down, it’s important to create processes and methods to get yourself out of the rut.

1. Be creative

You must have heard that tough times call for tough measures. However, tough measures without any thought going into them cannot help you out. You have to be creative with your solutions when there is little that you can do to change your situation. Before you take any decision, you need to have multiple ideas in mind. The first alternative that comes to mind in such a situation is pretty obvious that has been used earlier also. However, if the solution would have been so simple, you wouldn’t have probably called it a tough situation.  Truly creative alternatives remain hidden in the depths of the mind which require too deep and persistent thoughts to be revealed.  See the bigger picture; you may discover something that can help you.

2. Find support

As you look back at your life, you would find that all your success had some minor or major contributions from someone you knew. Asking for help during tough times won’t make you appear weaker. There are too many of us who suffer in isolation, just because we are afraid of asking for help. By hiding our hard times from our connections, we will end up feeling more miserable. Everyone faces challenges in their lives and if you share them with people you know, it can become easier to overcome them. Always remember, you are seeking support today, however, you can always return the favor when the time comes.

3. Keep feeding your mind with positive thoughts

Just like the body needs all sorts of healthy food to recover from any illness, the mind also requires a healthy dosage of positive thoughts and inspiration to face challenging times. Talking to leaders, achievers, and successful people who have fought against the odds in their lives is a good way to start. Reading their biographies or their articles will also help you prepare effective strategies to face challenging situations.  Feeding your mind with positiveness will do a lot for increasing your mental strength and as they say, most wars are won or lost in the minds before they are fought on the battlefield.

About the Author

Saurabh has written this article keeping in mind the needs of the job seekers community, to help them be better professionals.  His write-ups extensively cover all the aspects of job searching and working life, right from subscribing to new jobs, to getting ready for an interview, and working at an office. If you want to read more of his articles, follow him on, LinkedIn and Twitter

PS: Please leave a comment below and tell me how did you succeed in a situation where you felt like fighting against the odds?

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How to Succeed When Fighting Against the Odds