You have probably heard the phrase, the world is your oyster.  If you are like me you may have heard the phrase without knowing what it means.  The phrase means that you are in a position to take opportunities that life has to offer.

Think of how an oyster creates a pearl, a beautiful creation that exemplifies elegance.  A piece of sand gets into the heart of the oyster, as a defense mechanism the oyster covers over the irritant to protect itself, it continues to cover the irritant over and over again until the irritant poses no threat.  In doing so something we deem to be beautiful, a pearl, emerges.

The irritants we face everyday can have the same outcome.  When we face irritants in our lives we must become adept at putting them in their proper place.  These irritants let’s call them saboteurs, when not properly managed continue to create irritants that can have significant impacts on our personal lives, our professional lives and our wellbeing.  We need to be able to coat the irritants with the truth, over and over and over to put them in their place, when we do this we build our character, we learn to be honest with ourselves in a way that frees us for success and we become resilient. 

Here are a few steps to consider to reduce the negativity that festers in your mind;

• Identify negative thoughts and recognize they have no control over you
• Take a breath, step back and focus on the “now” for 10 seconds
• Repeat as necessary

John Maxwell explains the importance of the right attitude to gain success when he said;

“Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it”

Knowing and understanding how to turn adverse experiences into great learning opportunities is essential to your success.  You build resilience one adverse experience at a time.  Learn to see the good that may come out of an adverse experience to grow your character, to practice virtue and to increase your significance.