Adversity Quotient

Ms. Ann gave Adversity Quotient as our research first topic in Seminar in Psychology. She asked us to make a reaction. Here is the one I made.

It was inculcated in me that “failure is not falling down, it is staying down.” Things, whether or not favorable for me, happen for a reason; it is something I should face, learn from, and overcome.

However, there are things easily said than done. I admit that I tend to accept and deal better with happy times than with gloomy times. It is hard and feels bad to be disappointed by one’s own short-comings. It is distressing and morale- degrading. Worse, there are times that self-blame prevails. When it comes to this point, a person, including myself, may be too down to perform and function for the betterment, if not for the best, in reaching for his goal. This may leave him stagnant, futile, and unproductive which is exactly an adverse action and reaction in striving for success. This is alarming, something to be attended with enough attention.

On the other hand, there are people whose spirits are boosted up by misfortunes in life. They are the ones who learn and strive more to improve themselves. They are the ones who do not easily give up. They are the ones who do not have “crying over spilled milk” in their vocabulary. They are the ones who get better ideas from the hardships they encounter. The phrases “I give up”, “This is al I can do”, “I can’t make it” seem to be non-existent to them. They are the people who make something positive and reinforcing out of their hardships. They are the ones who are not overwhelmed by their problems, but are rather inspired by those to achieve something better for themselves or the people around them.

They are the ones who are more likely to succeed in reaching for their dreams. They are the ones whom live life to the full. This is exactly what Adversity quotient is all about.
Adversity quotient deals with one’s ability to handle the harsh conditions that comes his way. It is ones ability to move on and conquer the difficulties he has. It is all about resilience. Knowing ones level of AQ, its root factors, its building bocks and its core dimensions will help him overcome his frustrations and helplessness. This will help a person focus more on his strengths and goals. Improving ones AQ will facilitate a person in turning the adversities he encounters into his advantages. A person aware about his AQ have enough attention on how to device strategies and be responsible and flexible enough in achieving his dreams.

Understanding more about AQ taught many significant insights. Things do not always come the way we expect them to. We must be able to deal with them, be flexible enough in turning in every twist and turns of life (setting aside the phrase “I give up”) in order to achieve our goals. Life’s journey is not a smooth and straight path, it is, at times, narrow, bumpy and rough road which we should be able to cope with. If you fail to accomplish what you are apt to, don’t stop and dwell on it. It’s not the end of the world. Learn from it. Look for the positive side it offers. Be resilient (use you IQ, EQ and AQ). Do not be afraid to try or resort to another avenue of life. Who knows, your alternative route may end out as your road to success.

It’s mind over matter!