Overcoming & Taking Your Stand

There is a Pattern to Great Personal Achievement

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There is a theory in psychology that people set patterns very early, and these patterns begin to determine their mental “positioning” in the challenges to come. 

The theory, posed by Alfred Adler, was that we all come across pivotal challenges in our lives where we will have to make a decision. Will you overcome, or will you back down? 

This could be an early health problem in childhood, or maybe social challenges, physical challenges, or challenges in learning or your home life. Were you someone who decided to overcome at a later point in life — to not allow challenges to hold you down? Or were you someone who decided this was a reason to quit? It is about the decisions we make, to dig deep, and overcome.

People who overcome tend to position themselves and what they see as “possible” quite differently than those who choose to back down. In fact, for Adler, choosing to back down sets the stage for feeling “inferior”... and leads to more backing down or avoidance. You might have heard about his “inferiority complex,” and this backstory is the origin of that theory. It is one explanation of how many start to feel less than others. 

What I have noticed with founders, executives, and high performers across multiple industries and professions is that the best tend to be people who have chosen to overcome again…and again. It often starts with overcoming different types of obstacles at a young age, but — as an adult — it’s now a clear pattern. They are still overcoming in new ways every day.

In fact, these people - these overcomers - are now made *uncomfortable* in places that would have them back down from any sort of challenge or obstacle — it’s not how they are wired. It makes them irritable, anxious, or downright angry. Being held down, held back, or suppressed makes them agitated. It is unacceptable. It’s incompatible with their own worldview.

The truth is we can choose to overcome — and set that pattern — at any time. And while you may be overcoming in some areas quite smoothly, maybe there are other areas that you might avoid or feel defeated by…and they gnaw at or irritate you. 

This edition is really about how to take your stand, what that entails, the mental ripple effects of overcoming, and why backing down is not the same as walking away.