Coal vs. Diamonds

How you react to stress and pressure has an impact on your success.

I’m sure you’ve heard that while diamonds and coal are both made from carbon and require years of heat and pressure to form, the difference is that diamonds require much more extreme heat and pressure to develop. We can also apply this same theory to our lives.

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. For example, did you plan for ANYTHING that has happened so far in 2020? Probably not! This year has been extremely unpredictable and difficult for so many people. On the scale of broken to thriving, where do you fall? Your response to the last question has a lot to do with your mindset and how you react to change.

When your life gets turned upside down, how do you respond? Whether it’s social isolation that you struggle with or maybe a failing business, the results of your reaction are the same. If you let change, no matter how serious cause you to crumble into pieces, you will not see many successes in your life. Any goals you were working on and any progress you had made will be lost.

What separates the diamonds from the coals is that the diamonds thrive under pressure. They persevere when bad things happen.

• Extreme situations can refine us if we let them. What are you doing while you’re out of work or socially distancing? Are you being resourceful and learning a new skill or finding another way to make a living? Are you finding new ways to connect to your loved ones?
• Challenges can make us stronger and more resilient. If you’ve lost your business or are deeply mourning the loss of a loved one or social connections, you know that this may be one of the darkest times in your life. What are you learning about yourself? How can you grow from this and apply it in the future? 

When life is hard, when the world around you has changed and you don’t know if it will ever be the same, keep pressing on. Remember what it takes to be a diamond.

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