Zaire Allen

Imagine receiving the news that you have six months to live. What would you feel? Perhaps a mix of emotions—gratitude for the life you've lived, sadness, fear, or something else entirely?

While this might not be your situation (nor mine), I sincerely hope you never face it. But thinking about life through such an intense lens makes me wonder: how do I want to perceive things when faced with adversity?

Adversity is life's great equalizer.

We can't always choose the challenges we face, but we can choose how we respond. Everything in life involves choices—though I know it's a painfully simple idea. When discomfort arises, it's natural to default to feeling like a victim. Yes, things can be tough, but feeling sorry for ourselves often deepens the pain. However, I've found that embracing optimism or gratitude can make the struggle more bearable.

Perhaps it's my autistic brain that pushes me toward logic; if so, here's a glimpse into what it's like to have a mind like a Ferarri.

Last year, I lost $1.5 million in intellectual property for my bootcamp company due to a misunderstanding with a customer support rep from Zm. This was just one of many hurdles I faced in 2023. How would you react in such a situation? Naturally, I initially felt frustrated, and some might say I underreacted. My loved ones even called me 'resilient.'

Though I didn't always feel resilient, I began understanding what it truly means. Resilience is about redirecting your energy away from the pain and finding positivity or optimism in your current circumstances.