Life is full of difficulties, but setbacks and challenges can be the foundation for success. Adversity actually can make people stronger and healthier. The ability to cope with adversity -- to thrive when life is difficult, to get back up when you've been knocked down -- is called resilience.

You don't have to be born with the capacity for resilience, it can be can be learned at any age by studying how other people overcame unusual stress or difficulties.  

This blogging challenge is about becoming more resilient by learning from each other.

Write about a situation that was unusually difficult for you to manage. Describe the situation and then "road map" what you did to solve the problem, save the deal, or live to fight another day. Be specific about the activities you performed, the people you consulted, what worked out and what didn't.

The situation you write about doesn't have to be one of life's great dilemmas. Lots of things we do every day test our mental, ethical and endurance boundaries.

Here's some ideas for topics :

- Your client, partner, team member or brokerage behaved unethically or illegally

- Your family or a significant other didn't support you, your career choice or an important decision

- Dilemmas with representation, dual agency, fair housing

- Working with clients going through major life changes

These are just a few ideas -- write about whatever you've accomplished that other people can learn from. Don't be modest...strut your stuff. Inspiration Here.

The Challenge  

Write a minimum 300 word post and post the link as a comment here by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on September 30, 2012. 

All posts will be awarded 500 points.

Please include this at the bottom of your post: This post is an entry in the Active Rain Challenge: What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger. 

The Winners 

3 posts will be recognized for as being the most inspiring, the most well-written, or the most helpful to other members. The winning posts will be featured on Active Rain and will receive additional bonus points: 

1st Place 2000 points     2nd Place 1500 points     3rd place 1000 points

The judges will be me and my esteemed colleagues J Philip Faranda and Bill Spear. We'll probably lean towards real estate-related topics for contest winners. We look forward to learning from each of you and are grateful to everyone who shares their stories.

PS: This contest was inspired by a book I just read called Rebounders: How Winners Pivot From Setback to Success. It's not your typical self-help book, it was useful and inspiring. I highly recommend it. I'll send copies to people whose posts personally inspire me.