<center>*“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”* -- Robert F. Kennedy</center>

<center>![rising](https://s6.postimg.org/3nnfdf9gx/rising.jpg)</center><br>**Most of us (if not all) have been in situations that call for us to..,** *rise to the challenge…* A specific time requiring the very best of you -- facing something (someone) head-on, without any pretense or bravado. just a steely resolve.  Never under-estimating what lies before you, accepting the outcome is out of your hands… There's something that clicks, and says -- *I got this…*

*Moments of truth.., that help define who we are…*<br>
<center>***"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, 
have strengthened me."*** -- Walt Disney</center><br>**It's something we possess, that's not always around…** But when we're in doubt -- it never lets us down. Claiming a victory, against incredible odds -- hushing the naysayers, exceeding the norm. But regardless of the outcome (you can't win them all -- you can't win them all) (I said that twice because -- you can't win them all), you dug down deep -- leaving it all on the field (or wherever). Cause sometimes those moments, when it doesn't go your way -- add more to your character.., *then claiming the day.*

<h2>Just Showing Up</h2>

**Rising to the challenge, stepping to the plate…** Just by showing up, you've already won. For some of the most valuable lessons in life, will come from your greatest defeats. But it is how we handle these loses -- as Hamlet once said -- *"Ay, there's the rub."* For if we walk away from such defeat with a chip on our shoulder, whining like a baby -- we will have, not only, gained nothing.., we will have wasted (squandered) a moment in time, that was meant for a lesson greater than another victory. *Standing alone against all adversity is a sacred moment in time.*<br>
<center>***"The ultimate measure of a man 
is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, 
but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."*** 
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.</center><br>**Everybody want to come out on top..,** but bad times, difficult situations are inevitable. They roll in like the tide.., and before you know it, they are drifting back out to sea… And it is those times of unbearable sadness, moments of great despair -- where we are called upon, yet again, to rise to the challenge… Face our fears. Acknowledge our demons. Process the lose. Take from it what we can and.., send it on it's way. 

*Just by showing up to meet such adversity we have already won…*<br>
<center>![adversity](https://s6.postimg.org/51f28q8q9/adversity.jpg)</center><br><h2>FACING ADVERSITY</h2>

**There will be times you may not want or feel like rising to the challenge…** You might want to run and stick your head in the sand. Giving-up, not recognizing what lies before you.., will also contribute to who you are, robbing you of such moments of growth.., and infringe on your destiny. Stepping into the light.., or darkness, and facing the unknown, a true test of your mettle -- *can and will reveal limitless rewards.*

**Desperate times call for desperate measures…** But even out of complete desperation, you stand-up and be counted, show yourself and the world around you, you've got the balls (courage) to meet any challenge -- good or bad, with an open mind and honest heart.., and kick its butt. You're a person that understands life can be bumpy, at times -- it can be hard. But good or bad, it's your life.., *and you and only you can take that leap...*<br>
<center>***“A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on and licks it, 
or he turns his back on it and starts to wither away.”*** 
-- Gene Roddenberry</center><br>**The lessons we take away from times of adversity..,** such as, humility, patience, bravery, courage, respect, etc., etc… (i could go on and on). They build our character and prepare us for the times that lie ahead, that might not go your way. They gives us the tools to continue, to go on -- even in the face of all the obstacles and hardships you may face along the way.

**The cards will not always fall your way…** But knowing some things are out of your hands.., and sometimes you can't control the the outcome… You still, win or lose -- hold your head high, react with respect and dignity for any given situation… Learning the lessons of victory and defeat. Great love and unbearable loss.., and everything in-between -- *Knowing you have risen to the challenge!*

<center>***"Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course."***
 -- William Shakespeare</center>
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Image Source: [1](http://switchandshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/rising.jpeg) [2](https://briancain.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/adversity.jpg)