When you’re paralyzed you learn the true value of things. In this episode I’m diving into what it means to be at your lowest and the hard-hitting questions to ask yourself in order to move forward. I’m also sharing how Adversity is critical for anyone who wants to reach their full potential.
Episode Transcript:
00:02
Acta Non Verba is a show that’s raw and real, featuring hard-hitting interviews with people that live by the ethos of actions, not words. Marcus Aurelius Anderson is a TEDx speaker, best-selling author, veteran, and leadership and mindset coach. With this show, you get to join Marcus as he goes inside the minds and experiences of the world’s most successful warriors, leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts. With each episode, you’re going to get the philosophies, concepts, tactics, and strategies these leaders use
00:32
turn adversity into victory. Live an extraordinary life based on actions, not words. Now, here’s your host, Marcus Aurelius Anderson. I’m Marcus Aurelius Anderson, and this is Acta Non Verba. This episode goes into detail about the Gifts of Adversity. And if you’re unfamiliar with my backstory, please go listen to episode one and two to get complete context of this episode. From here on out, I’ll pick up where episode two left off.
01:04
My injury gave me a tremendous amount of perspective. When you’re bedridden and you can’t move, you have a lot of time to think about your life. And you realize quickly what is truly important and what is not. You see, when you’re paralyzed, you learn that the size of your house, the kind of car that you drive and the brand of clothing that you wear, really don’t matter. The amount of money that you have in the bank will simply be a number on a computer screen or a slip of paper.
01:31
And no matter how large or impressive that number may be, it can neither buy you more time nor improve your current physical condition. If all the things that society values are truly without much worth, then I ask you, what really is important? Well, that’s a very good question. And it’s a question that only you can answer for yourself. So listen closely to the three questions that I’m about to ask you, because these three questions
02:00
will change your life. How do I know this? Because these are the questions that I was forced to ask myself and they changed my life forever.
02:12
So take a deep breath, listen to my voice, and put yourself in that place.
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outside of the obvious hopes of being able to walk and recover fully, if you, woke up tomorrow, paralyzed from the neck down, what would you wish you would have accomplished with your life?
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What regrets would you harbor? And if by some miracle you were able to walk again, how would you begin to live your life differently?
02:47
The things that are coming to your mind right now, these are the things that are truly important to you. These are the things that have given the opportunity you would change in your life immediately. These are your answers that matter. In other words, my injury gave me clarity. It helped me realize what was truly important. It made the things that were genuinely my priorities abundantly obvious, letting me drop the superfluous things that were draining my energy, my time, my attention.
03:17
These things are only a few of the gifts that I receive from my adversity. You must realize that adversity is inescapable. It is an inevitability. You see, adversity is a natural law. And like the law of gravity, it doesn’t really care about your opinion when you try to lift something heavy because if you can’t handle the weight, that’s not adversity’s problem. Adversity is the drill sergeant yelling in your face the moment that you step off the bus at basic training.
03:47
Adversity is the martial arts instructor who humbles you whenever you act without honor, respect, and discipline. Adversity is the parent who grounds you when they catch you trying to sneak out of the house at midnight, or maybe when they catch you when you try to sneak back in. But like all of these things at the time, adversity seems incredibly harsh and almost ruthless. Adversity makes you drop everything else you’re doing to give it your full, undivided attention.
04:16
Adversity shows up unannounced at the most inopportune times without apology. Adversity couldn’t care less about what you want. It doesn’t give a damn about your feelings and adversity doesn’t take no for an answer. Frankly, it feels like adversity hates you. And that’s because it does. It absolutely does hate you, but it only hates a certain part of you. What part of you does it hate? The weak part.
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The physical manifestation of adversity is an adversary, an opponent. And though it may seem counterintuitive at the time, an adversary is often our best teacher. Think about it. An adversary is one of the most honest people you will ever encounter. They wear their hate for you openly on their sleeve. It is impossible to misconstrue their intent. And even though they wanna do you harm, at least they’re honest about it.
05:15
Adversity forces you to up your game and play at a higher level. It never allows you to coast or do just enough to get by. Adversity knows your full potential, even if you do not, which is why it kicks your ass when you give less than a hundred percent. The reality is this. Adversity offers you no other choice. And when there’s no other choice, then the choice is simple.
05:43
In the end, we are only as strong as the adversity that we overcome. The pain of the adversity will eventually subside, but the lesson will always remain. And that lesson will strengthen you to endure your next battle, this time stronger and wiser than before.
06:01
Robert Frost wrote famously, the best way out is always through. And he is absolutely correct. So how can we overcome adversity? By facing it head on. From my experience, I have learned that if you try to escape adversity, it can crush you. By attempting to go around adversity, you may never be able to circumvent its grasp. By trying to avoid the struggle,
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Not only will you have to face the same adversity that you would have initially, but now you’ll be forced to do so, already fatigued from trying to avoid it in the first place. Trying to avoid adversity would be like trying to avoid the tide while swimming in the ocean. But like the ocean, if you can embrace the tide of adversity, you will eventually learn to let it lift you up and you can ride the wave to shore.
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unscathed. And in that moment, if you’re able, take a good look around because the view that you have after you’ve overcome your adversity is absolutely breathtaking. Adversity is a gift. Embrace it. I challenge you today to go out and actively seek adversity in all that you do. Use it as your compass. Use it as your litmus test.
07:27
Use it as the indicator that you are moving towards the better version of yourself. Thus endeth the lesson. The source material from this episode can be found in my bestselling book, The Gitch of Adversity, Overcoming Paralysis and Pain to Find Purpose. You can order your copies at my website, Marc While you’re there, check out my TEDx talk, check out more of the free resources, and become a member of the Octanonverbal Inner Circle to get even more exclusive content and information. Until next time.
07:57
Live a life of actions, not words. Live a life of Acta Non Verba. Thank you for listening to this episode of Acta Non Verba. If this message resonates with you, please share it out with others on social media. Hit that subscribe button and leave a review for the show anywhere you listen to podcasts. To learn more, please go to marc and join his Acta Non Verba inner circle to get exclusive content, news, and information.
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Until next time, remember, talk is cheap. Live your life based on actions, not words.
