--- title: The Ways Adversity Can Hurt You | The Sales Blog description: Adversity hurts you if you accept it. It only beats you if you don’t push back against it, if you don’t push through it. If you accept that somehow, image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_230550307.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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It only beats you if you don’t push back against it, if you don’t push through it. If you accept that somehow, the tough hand you have been dealt isn’t a hand you can play, you have given adversity the power instead of taking the power from it. Adversity hurts you if you define it through the negativity frame. The story you tell is is a survivor’s story or a thriver’s story. The survivor’s story is the story about how adversity prevents them from being more, doing more, having more, and contributing more. Those who have recognized the value in adversity tell another story. They tell the story of how adversity built them into someone who thrives. Adversity hurts you if you believe that it holds you back, that it disempowers you. If you believe that adversity prevents, it does indeed prevent. If you believe that an event prevents you from succeeding, it will. If you believe that that same event requires you to act in some new way, adversity propels your forward, stronger than you were before. Adversity hurts you if you use it as an excuse. If you want a reason to “not,” adversity will provide it. If you want an excuse for the things you believe you “can not” have, or the things that you “can not” do, or the person you ”can not” become, adversity will provide that excuse. Other people with the same or similar adversity use it as the reason they “can” and the motivation to “do.” You are human. You are certain to face adversity. The human condition makes it unavoidable. But it isn’t something that defines you in a negative or limiting way, unless you choose to define yourself by the adversity in a negative or limiting way. Pushing against adversity is one of the most potent and important ways that you grow stronger. ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2017](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2017) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on April 15, 2017 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-09-17T2:12:43 PM", "datePublished" : "2017-04-15 21:11:16", "description" : "Adversity hurts you if you accept it. It only beats you if you don’t push back against it, if you don’t push through it. 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