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My favorite saying of all time is, "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger" And growing up, my life may have been easier if I had adopted this way of thinking early on. When a problem turns into a crisis, and we feel blinded by it, sometimes seeing the good or positive is not always easy. Many times we are told to "just get over it" or "overcome" it. But in seeing it as a challenge to be conquered, you may be missing the greatest success opportunity.

Some of the greatest inventions, from the telephone to viagra, came from visionary people who chose not to "overcome" the obstacle, but rather to use the difficulty to better themselves or make our way of living easier.

No Pain, NO gain, a problem can be turned into a profit, and an obstacle can become a glorious opportunity. That truth has been articulated by some of the world's greatest thinkers. "The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory," wrote Cicero. "A smooth sea never made a successful sailor," declared author Herman Melville. "Adversity is the midwife of genius," observed Napoleon.

Here are several ways you can turn an obstacle into opportunity and a problem into something profitable.

* Seek out the advantage
The difference between those who succeed and those who fail often lies in the ability to spot the opportunity and work tooth and nail to achieve it.

* Keep problems in perspective.
When we feel stressed, the world may feel like it is ending, but the reality is that it is only a learning experience that will only help us gain momentum.

* Identify new opportunities.
It is all too easy to focus on the negative, but what happens when the negative is brilliance in disguise?

* Ask for help.
Don't be afraid to admit personal defeat. It shows we are human and not always perfect as one might think.

* Accept responsibility.
If a decision you made, an action you took, or words you spoke have created the problem, accept responsibility for it quickly. Don't play the blame game. One thing that will turn a mood sour in a hurry is self righteousness. Once you admit an error, look to the future. What have you learned? How will you keep this from happening again?"

* Persistence pays off.
You can conquer the greatest problem by simply continuing. Victory often comes not to those who are the wisest or the strongest but to those who are the most persevering. "With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable," said Sir Thomas Foxwell Buxton.

* Laugh A Little
The ability to see humor in a problem can lighten the mood quickly.

* Manipulate the Burden
Although people naturally wish to be spared adversity and difficulty, this is not possible. Sooner or later, trials and tribulations come into every life. Because this is true, the best way of dealing with adversity is to embrace it and find a way to use it, period!

The best life lessons come when we are challenged and pushed to the edge. Adversity is often the beginning to greater achievement. Adversity reveals true character. This was noted by the 14th century mystic Thomas a Kempis who said: "Adversities do not make a man frail; they show what sort of man he is."

If you choose to ignore the lessons being offered to you, and they will, you will continue on the miserable path you've been on, eventually creating a larger problem in time, with the situation unresolved and you sitting in a corner patting yourself on the back, wondering why.

Learn more about this author, Erinn Soule.
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