Welcome To Thrive

With conflict in Ukraine and Syria, floods in Southern England, public services under threat, companies going to the wall and people suffering from a reduction in living standards all over the western world, we can see yet again that adversity seems to be an unavoidable part of life.

For many of us, we never know when it will strike. It may be a short, sharp shock, acute in intensity, while for others it may be something that they have to live with all their lives. Grief, disability, poverty, illness, crime, stress, pressure, conflict, relationship breakdown, homelessness, imprisonment, abuse – when were these never a part of human history?

However, we can survive adversity. In fact, we can do more than that. We can thrive in adversity, either despite it or even because of it. We have centuries of experience of successfully overcoming adversity from which to learn. If it sounds unlikely that people can improve their lives because of extreme situations, then you will be surprised and even inspired by the stories you will be able to read in this blog.

Of course, no-one should ever pretend that hell doesn't exist. For many people in war zones or even in their own homes, those fires burn on a daily basis. Neither should anyone ever accept crime, abuse, violence or injustice being visited on them. However, some people in these situations continue to rise above the oppression they feel and change their own lives and often those of other people, for the better. How they do it is the theme of this blog.

Adversity is an unavoidable part of life. To avoid it is pointless because it will always seek you out. Quite possibly it is a necessary part of our lives. “What doesn't kill us makes us stronger” is borne out by a lot of anecdotal evidence. Some people even believe so strongly in the role of adversity in our development that they actively seek it out in order to learn, grow and develop.
 
You have huge potential to thrive in tough times. You can learn so much from the countless people who have not only come through the other side of adversity but have emerged as better people. The same is true of organizations, companies, towns and whole countries. Scientific research even backs up some of the case studies.

Wishful thinking, however, is not a part of this blog. There are so many real-life examples of people who have won the game with the bad hand they were dealt, that we don't need to resort to just hoping or dreaming. We can deal in reality and since there is nothing like getting a little personal in a blog, I'll be sharing some of my own experiences of adverse situations and life-events.

The point of all this writing? To help, to inspire and to build a community of people dedicated to assisting each other through tough times. As the character Fergus Wilks in the film “Greenfingers” says, we will “make a friend out of misfortune and an ally out of adversity”.

So a big “Hi and welcome!” to this blog. My name's Pete Reece and you'll learn a bit more about me as the weeks go on and, through your comments and contributions, I hope we'll learn something about you too. In the meantime, I wish you the very best that life can offer.