The song “Try” by P!nk popped up on my playlist as I was out walking in my neighbourhood the other day. Now I’ve heard this song many times in the past, but for some reason (likely because I have recently been dealing with adversity in my personal life), I noticed the lyrics in the refrain more than I usually do.
“Try” by P!nk
Where there is desire, there is gonna be a flame Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned But just because it burns, doesn't mean you're gonna die You gotta get up and try, and try, and try Gotta get up and try, and try, and try You gotta get up and try, and try, and try
Now I know that this song is actually about romance, but it caught my attention because the words so appropriately so apply to our both our personal and professional lives as well. If you replace the word “desire” with “adversity”, suddenly these lines take on a whole different meaning. What was intended to be a song about finding love is now solid advice for dealing with adversity, for never giving up, both in the professional and personal arenas.
Dealing with adversity in the workplace
When we are faced with adversity in the workplace, there is always a struggle. And when one struggles, it often causes distress and discomfort. But just because we are experiencing difficulty, it does not mean that we are going to succumb. Instead, we need to get past the immediate hardship and try again and again. In the workplace, dealing with adversity comes in many forms – project setbacks, looming deadlines, frequent staff turnover, catastrophic failures – but we can’t give up. We need to get up and try, and try, and try. Not just for ourselves, but also because as leaders, we are role models for others, and we need to the example.
So, what do you do when you’re faced with adversity? Do you give up, or do you try, and try, and try? What are the mental roadblocks that we need to overcome in order to try, and try, and try? Please share by commenting below.
P.S. I wrote another blog post about dealing with adversity just a couple of months ago. In An ageless folktale about dealing with adversity I related a story from Indian folklore that I heard when I was a child; a great metaphor about the choices we have when we are faced with hardships.