i told my friend graham that i often cycle the two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a *g hill on the route. he replied, "you mean fortunately." he explained that i should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
my attitude to the hill has now changed. i used to grumble1（抱怨） as i approached it but now i tell myself the following. this hill will exercise my heart and lungs. it will * me to lose weight and get fit. it will mean that i live longer. this hill is my friend. finally as i wend my way up the incline（倾斜，斜面） i console myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery2 exercise *cycles when i can get the same value for free. i have a smug smile of sati*action as i reach the top of the hill.
problems are there to be faced and overcome. we cannot achi* anything with an easy life. helen keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. her activism and writing proved inspirational. she wrote, "character cannot be d*loped in ease and quiet. only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, am*tion inspired and success achi*d."
one of the main determinants of success in life is our attitude towards adversity. from time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. some are of our * but many confront us through no fault of our own. whilst we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
douglas bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs amputated following a flying accident. he was determined3 to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces4 in the battle of britain with 22 aerial victories over the germans. he was an inspiration to others during the war. he said, "don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. that's nonsense. make up your mind, you'll n*r use crutches5 or a stick, then have a go at *rything. go to school, join in all the *s you can. go anywhere you want to. but n*r, n*r let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible."
how can you change your attitude towards the adversity that you face? try these steps:
confront the problem. do not avoid it.
deliberately6 take a positive attitude and write down some benefits or advantages of the situation.
visualise how you will feel when you overcome this obstacle.
d*lop an action plan for how to tackle it.
smile and get cracking.
the *ographies of great people are littered with examples of how they took these kinds of steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. the common thread is that they did not become defeatist or depressed7. they chose their attitude. they opted8 to be positive. they took on the challenge. they won.
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