Are you one who lets adversity define you or do you define adversity by the way you react to it?  I am a firm believer that it's how we react to hardships that tells the world who we really are.  

The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.” 
― Walt Disney Company, Mulan


What kind of flower are you?

I am always of the opinion that it's better, in fact easier as well, to speak nicely than to speak rudely.  And the rewards of speaking nicely are far, far better!  Addressing people with respect encourages hope and helps to instill a healthy self-esteem.  Albert Einstein once said, "I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university."

Sometimes when I am in the dumps from too much rain, too much cloudiness, too much cold...too much WINTER, I pull out the spring flowers and plop them in a creamy white pitcher. Voila, instant springtime joy!  Even if they are silk flowers (fresh ones are even better!), they lift my sprits and give me the "spring butterflies," if you know what I mean.

Ahh, flowers...nature's natural pick-me-up!

Sometimes doing what makes you fearful is just what you need to stretch yourself for growth.  That first step is the hardest when stepping out of your comfort zone.  It doesn't have to be bungy jumping, it might just be talking to the boss...whatever it is, begin to live fearlessly!