39 – Adversity Can Be A University: Using Life’s Challenges To Your Advantage

We all undergo adversity but it serves you better to see it as a place where you can learn and grow. In this episode, Brian Covey talks about how his current bicep injury has put many physical and mental challenges in the forefront. Dealing with failures and setbacks is always challenging but if you can see each hurdle as a learning opportunity, you’d be setting yourself up for better things moving forward. Tune in and discover how he has overcome those challenges. Having the right mindset and surrounding yourself with uplifting people is key!

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Listen to the podcast here:

Adversity Can Be A University: Using Life’s Challenges To Your Advantage

Welcome to a special episode of the show. First off, let me thank you guys who are tuning in regularly our normal format, which is where we have guests join. You have been faithful. Most of the times, you joined because the guest was sharing something that appealed to you. This is going to be a little different. We’re launching part of the show, but the solo edition. What I’ve found out is there are a lot of lessons that I’m learning along this journey that I am on, and that you are probably experiencing as well. I thought, why not share those in small little bite-sized segments. We’ll be able to connect up and share what we’re seeing and experiencing, and how we can take action and win in life.

Learning From Adversity: We’re all going to go through adversity…how are you going to respond to this and who you are going to surround yourself with absolute matters!

Before we move into the episode, there’s something I want to talk to you about adversity and dealing with failure and setbacks. Those of you who kept up with my bicep tendon surgery, we’ll share some of those things and what I’ve learned. Many of you’ve already picked up your copy of Conversations with Covey. That book has blown my expectations away. Thank you for going on to Amazon and giving me the ratings, the feedback and all the comments. I appreciate you. Those of you that have written a book, you know how difficult it is, you know the mixed feelings of you want to get it to market, but then you want to see how the market responds so that way, we can always learn and grow.

Let’s jump into where we are. In this episode, what I thought I would bring to you is relevant. Unfortunately, I had to have bicep tendon surgery. Let’s go back a little bit to how this happened because this was not some average or normal injury. I am playing indoor soccer, which you know my history there, I took a weird shot. My forearms started to cramp a couple of minutes later. I had no idea what was going on, but I quickly found out over the next week that something was wrong. We’re given these opportunities in life and we kept going. I thought, “What’s happening?” I’m not sure at this point. I continued to press forward until I couldn’t do a lot of things that I love to do with working out and doing certain movements. I recognized something was wrong.

I went and saw a doctor and ortho. I quickly realized through ultrasound that I was going to have surgery. It’s been eye-opening for me because it’s one where my routine was built around early morning. I get up, go work out, get challenged. I go to iron shop, have a wonderful and challenging workout around amazing people, the coaches, and the music is loud. It was a way that I got prepared for my day, much like my sports days, where you’re going to practice your training and you got the music maybe before a game. It got me mentally right for the day. What do you do when that’s all taken away? You’re faced with a question and a challenge in your life of how you’re going to respond. What I learned in this situation was our attitude and our mindset matter so much because I had prepared myself.

Conversations With Covey: 11 Powerful, Inspirational, and Hope-Filled Lessons from Today’s Biggest Leaders

I knew the surgery was going to be difficult. I knew I was going to be out of my normal daily routine of going to workout. I had some opportunities to have a self-pity party. I had people reaching out to me like, “Brian, I hope you’re okay. That must be so difficult. It must be so hard.” The comments and the feedback that I loved the most was, “Brian, you got this. You’re going to come back stronger. When you get back, you’re going to be doing things that you never thought you could do, plus what you were already doing before.” For many of us, what I would encourage you that I learned through this is to surround yourself with people that are going to encourage and motivate you, not join in the pity party.

Things are difficult and there are things I can’t do. I’m well aware of those, but what I choose is the things that I can do. In two weeks, I’m able to tie my shoe again, which I couldn’t do. I’m able to take a shower and take off this brace because I’m not in a splint and a cast. I’m able to do things, carrying weight in my good hand that I couldn’t do before. Every day I’m getting a little bit better. What I want you to take away from this is we’re all going to go through adversity. Hopefully, it’s not surgery like this and it’s not that extreme, but it might be worse than what I’m going through. What we need to do is program in a response. What are we going to do as we go through this? How are you going to respond to this? Who are you going to surround yourself with matters.

This message is for anybody out there that are going through what you feel like is this long, dark tunnel. You’ve had a setback that you don’t know how you’re going to come out the other side. What I would give you is encouragement and advice in who we surround ourselves with, the content we consume during this time, how we positively respond and look for intentionally of what we can do, and what God is doing through us at this moment in the season, and be a blessing to other people. What I’ve found is by serving others and taking the focus off of myself and my arm and what’s going on, the days are easier. Get out there and get in the game. Make sure that you are there and you’re tackling whatever is the battle that you have. That is how we will compete and win.

That’s it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this first solo episode. We’ll be bringing you more of these. Give us some feedback. I hope this has inspired you to take action. I’ll continue to give you updates as I start PT. I’ll give you updates as I continue to progress. That’s our motto. That’s what this was all created around. We created the show as to how do we learn and grow together and get 1% better every day. Let’s take action. Have fun and hunker that next challenge.

Important Links:

• Conversations with Covey