Wednesday, 11 June 2014 12:02

Understanding Adversity Featured

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Adversity is defined as the obstacles, barriers, mountains, upsets, challenges, setbacks, afflictions, bad luck, calamities, disaster, misery, catastrophes, distress, hardship, ill-fortune, misfortune, woe, mishaps, sorrow, suffering, trials and troubles that we face in our lives. Adversity is the state

of hardship or misfortune. It can be both small and huge events in our lives.

The following can constitute an adversity in our lives like a broken cup or plate in the kitchen, a punctured car tyre, a sprained ankle playing tennis or football, missing the last bus home, losing your door keys or locking the keys in the car, discovering that you have left your money at home when you come to pay at the supermarket checkout, a burst pipe flooding your home, or coming home and finding you have been burgled. It could even be a boss stressing you in the office or a colleague making your life miserable.

Adversity is around us all the time, but it is the way we respond to it that determines if we are to succeed or fail in life. Your reaction to adversity affects your overall emotional and physical health. Adversity can cause the often apparent, mechanical reactions of depression and hopelessness. Dealing with, and responding to life adverse situations will cause you to have pressure and stress which result in possible psychological problems. And the pressures of life and the related stress, affect the blood pressure, cholesterol levels and the possibilities of heart attack. Adversity can also weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to disease and illnesses. People who are optimistic live a healthier life than pessimistic people, because their attitude of mind and positive outlook on life means that they face and overcome the adverse situations with less stress.

I was reading the BBC column from Lewis Hamilton and he agreed that he thrives well under pressure. The truth is adversity can be our greatest motivation for spiritual growth or our deadliest means of discouragement - the difference is in understanding God’s purposes through adversity. It is important to know why it comes to our lives and how to respond to it. The biggest word here is ‘respond.’ When faced with adversity do you react to it or you respond to it? Your action will determine the final outcome. You cannot change the event but how you act towards the event will determine the kind, type and nature of the outcome you will get out from the event.

The ability to effectively respond to and overcome adversity, will not only reduce the effect it has on your physical and emotional health, it will enhance your performance, which will be seen in a greater focus, increased productivity and you will feel more creative. Less time will be spent blaming yourself and getting depressed and there will be a noticeable increase in the speed of recovery from the challenges and setbacks that you experience.

You will have a feeling of being in control and will have a constructive approach to how you address the challenges that you encounter each day. You now have more energy and a feeling of empowerment. And over time it will mean that you will have improved health. We should not be concerned about, or live in fear of Adversity. Instead we should welcome it as an opportunity to succeed. The people that experience fulfilment in their lives have had to endure many of the same adverse situations, but because they have a love of life, have had inspirational ideas and had faith in the outcome of their endeavours, they have overcome these adversities. The ability to transform adversity into a challenge or opportunity is one of the traits that are a virtue of mankind.

The truth is adversity is not something you can be prepared for until it is now and there. The best way to prepare for any kind of adversity is to be mentally strong, staying positive with a positive mind-set and training yourself to see the good in every situation.

When you are faced with a situation that you cannot change the event, there is no need wasting energy crying and blaming. There is no need crying over spilled milk. You need to invest your energy at this stage in what will work and not the event you are not in control of. The event has already happened. You need to learn from it so it doesn’t happen again and now you must equip yourself to respond to the situation. So don’t waste your time getting upset about the past that is no longer in your control.

Facing difficult challenges and overcoming them builds self-confidence, teaches self-control and tends to foster an attitude of conscientiousness towards others, who may also face difficulties. Adversity, painful and something we all hope to avoid but inevitable to avoid because it is part of being alive, can have a positive impact on our character.  We acquire qualities such as persistence, self-control, conscientiousness, self-confidence and curiosity from experiences with adversity.

When you are physically abused as a child, repetitively belittled abuse constantly, your body releases stress hormones.  These hormones physically damage a child’s developing brain. Too much stress leaves children hyper-vigilant, unable to focus and, as a result, unable to learn. These adverse childhood experiences can be quite pervasive and don’t contribute to success, but rather lead to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, behavioural problems such as substance abuse, criminal behaviour and self-injury and physical health problems, such as STDs, cancer, heart disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes.

The good news is that our brains are capable of changing, growing and learning throughout our lives.  Counteracting and retraining the brain is not easy, but some treatments, such as mindfulness training and DBT have proved effective in helping people change emotion, behaviour and, in some cases, pathways in the brain.

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a therapy designed to help people change patterns of behaviour that are not effective, such as self-harm, suicidal thinking and substance abuse. This approach works towards helping people increase their emotional and cognitive regulation by learning about the triggers that lead to reactive states and helping to assess with coping skills to apply in the sequence of events, thoughts, feelings and behaviours that lead to the undesired behaviour. DBT assumes that people are doing the best that they can, but either are lacking the skills or are influenced by positive or negative reinforcement that interfere with one’s functioning.

When an individual or child is faced with overwhelming adversity or significant life challenges over which they have no control, they don’t learn self-control, nor do they learn persistence.  Instead, they are more likely to learn helplessness or hopelessness. Abuse or experiencing multiple crisis that occur one after the next without time for recovery are two examples of overwhelming adversity that can impact those personality traits connected with life success.

Remember it is not the adversity here that is the problem but how you deal with it matters more than the adversity itself. Understanding the beauty of adversity can help us flourish and thrive in the midst of trouble. It is the foundational hope that God makes all things beautiful in His time, which works as an anchor to our soul, to carry us across the finish line of victory.  As much as we all hate it, resist it and do everything we can to avoid it, adversity works beautiful things within us. Looking for the positive in every circumstance gives you the power to turn the adversity into a challenge and in a challenge you find a silver lining, a miracle and a breakthrough.

Right at this moment you might be experiencing an adversity in your life. In the 2014 FA cup final within five minutes Arsenal FC was two goals down. The history was not in their favour. The first FA Cup competition in season 1871-72 had fifteen entries. That is about 142 years ago. On record it was only one team that has been two goals down and come back to win in 1966 and that was Everton, Merseyside’s against Sheffield Wednesday and this is a record 48 years ago. So Arsenal FC was having an adversity within 8 minutes of the game. Before half time they claimed back one goal.

Mikel Arteta captained the Arsenal Team and after the match when he was interviewed by the television crew he said something very interesting which I believe will help us all when faced with adversity. Mikel Arteta says Arsène Wenger’s half-time team talk help turn the FA Cup final in Arsenal’s favour. The manager’s speech at half-time was brilliant,” the Spaniard told Arsenal Player. “[He told us] to keep believing in how we should do it and keep performing. “He told us to stay calm. We had done the most difficult thing, which was to score the first one [after going two down] so now the game was open, we had plenty of time to do it, and we could not rush it. It was brilliant, I think the lads continued to play and we showed a lot of experience and composure. I’m really happy, it’s a happy day.

Next time you are faced with adversity and it looks like nothing is working for you, my advice is the same:

1.    Keep believing
2.    Keep performing
3.    Stay Calm
4.    Don’t be in a rush

The main issue is not about the adversity itself but how we handle and cope with it. Every problem in life can be described as adversity however it’s how we look at these obstacles that makes like easier. If you have the ability to turn adversity into a challenge instead of becoming depressed every time something goes wrong, the smaller problems in life won’t be a problem at all and the larger problems will be easier to deal with.

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  • Comment Link Mitch Gould Nutritional Products International Tuesday, 23 August 2022 23:13 posted by Mitch Gould Nutritional Products International

    Mitch Gould haѕ “retail” in his DNA.

    A third-generation retail professional, Gould learned tһe consumer goods industry fгom his father ɑnd grandfather
    ᴡhile growing ᥙp in New York City. Օne of hіѕ fiгst sales jobs
    was tɑking oгders from neighbors for bagels
    еvery week.

    Aѕ an adullt with ɑ career tһɑt spans more tһаn three decades,
    Gould moved ߋn from bagels, cream cheese, ɑnd lox tо represent
    manny оf tһe leading product manufacturers օf consumer ɡoods іn America: Igloo, Rubbermaid, Sunbeam, Remington, Chapin, Paramount, Miracle-Gro,
    Native Remedies, Flora Health, Steven Seagal’ѕ
    Lightyning Bolt, Body Basix, ɑnd Hulk Hogan’ѕ extremke
    energy granules.

    “Ӏ ѕtarted іn the lawn and garden industry but expanded my horizons early on,” saiⅾ Gould, CEO and founder of Nuyritional Products International,
    ɑ global brand management firm based іn Boca Raton, Fl.
    “Ӏ ѡorked wwith Igloo, Sunbeam, Remington -- ɑll
    major brancs tһаt һabe bden leaders іn the consumer goodѕ industry.”

    Eventually, Gould segued іnto nutritional products.

    “Ӏ realized eaгly tһe nutritional supplement ᴡere much
    mоre than јust multivitamins,” Gould said. “American consumers ѡere ready tߋ taкe dietary
    supplements and health ɑnd wellness products into ɑ whole new level oof
    retail success.”

    Goulld solidified һiѕ success iin thee health аnd wellness industry tһrough һіѕ partnerships ԝith A-Lisst celebrities ѡho wanteԁ tⲟ develop nutritional products andd һis place in Amazon history ѡhen the online ecommerce retailer expanded Ƅeyond books, music,
    and electronics.

    “Durikng my career, І attended mɑny galas and
    charity events ᴡhere I met ԁifferent celebrities, such as Hulk Hogan ɑnd Chuck Liddel,”
    Gould ѕaid, adding that һe eventually partnered witһ ѕeveral of these famous entrepreneurs ɑnd developed nutritional products, ѕuch aѕ Hulk Hogan’s Extreme
    Energy Granules.

    “Ꮤorking ѡith thеm tօ сreate new health and
    wellness products gave me ɑ first-һand look into the burgeoning nutritional sector,
    ” Gould ѕaid. “I realized thɑt staying healthy was
    ery іmportant tօ my generation. My kids ԝere еvеn moгe focused on staying fit and healthy.”

    When Amazon decided to add a health аnd wellness category,
    Gould ᴡas aⅼready positioned tօ pⅼace more than 150 brands and eᴠen more products ᧐nto the virtual shelves
    tһе online giant waѕ adding every day in the еarly 2000s.


    “I met Jeff Fernandez, wһߋ ԝas on the Amazon team tһаt was building tһе
    new category from the ground սp,” Gould said. “I alѕߋ
    had contacts in the health and wellness industry, suich as Kenneth E.
    Collins, wһo waѕ vice president оf operations ffor Muscle Foods, оne of
    the largeset sports nutrition distributors іn tһe woгld.


    Gould said thіs “Powerhouse Trifecta” could not have asked for a better
    synergy Ьetween the thгee of them.

    “Thiѕ wass capitalism at іts bеst. Amazon demanded new һigh-quality dietary supplements, annd ѡе supplied them with more tһan 150 brands and
    products,” he aɗded.

    The “Powerhouse Trifecta” workeⅾ out sо well that Gould
    eventually hired Fernandez tо work for NPI, wwhere he is now president
    of tһe company, and Collins, who іs the new executive vice president ߋf NPI.


    “We work wewll togetһer,” Gould addеd.

    Fernandez, whߋ also ᴡorked as a buyer fߋr Walmart, saiԀ tһe thrree oof tem havе close
    to 75 уears οf retail buuying and selljng experience.


    “NPI clients bbenefit fгom oᥙr yеars of knowledge,” Fernandez adⅾeɗ.


    Gould sаid product manufacturers ɑгe ᥙnlikely to find tһree professionals ԝith oᥙr experience representing retailers аnd brands.


    “Wе knoԝ what brands need to ⅾo, and we understand what retailers want,”
    Gould sɑid.

    After hіs success with Amazon, Gould founded NPI аnd solidified һis plaϲe in the dietary
    supplement ɑnd health ɑnd wellness sectors.



    “Ӏt ᴡas time to concentrate оn health products,” Gould
    ѕaid, adding that hhe has workeⅾ with more thаn 200 domestjc and international brands that wanted tto launch
    neԝ products oг expand their presence in the largest consumer market іn the
    world: the United Stɑteѕ.

    “Ꭺs I visied the corporate headquarters օf ѕome of the largest
    retailers in tһe world, I realized that international
    branbds ԝeren’t beiing represented in American stores,” Gould ѕaid.

    “I realized theѕe companies, еspecially tһe
    international brands, struggled tо gai ɑ foothold in American retail stores.”

    Ꮃhen Gould surveyed the challenges confronting international product manufacturers, һe visualized a solution.

    “Thhey ԝere burning thrοugh tens of thousands of
    dollars to launch tһeir products,” Gould ѕaid. “By
    tһe tіme tey sold tһeir fiгst unit, tһey had eaten aѡay at their profit margin.”

    Gould ѕaid the biggest challenge ᴡas learning ttwo nnew cultures: America annd Wall
    Street.

    “Ƭhey ԁidn’t understand tһе American consumers,
    аnd theү diԀn’t кnow һow American businesses operated,” Gould ѕaid.
    “Ꭲhat is ѡhеre I come іn ᴡith NPI.”
    To provide the foreign commpanies ᴡith tһe business
    support they needeⅾ, Gould developed һіs lauded “Evolution of Distribution” platform.



    “Ibrought t᧐gether everything brands needеd to launch tһeir products in tthe U.S.,” he ѕaid.
    “Instead of oρening a new office in America, І madе NPI
    tһeir headquarters in the U.S. Since I alreadу had a
    sales staff іn ρlace, they didn’t һave tо hiire
    ɑ sales team ԝith support staff. Ιnstead, NPI did іt for them.”

    Gould saiԀ NPI supplied еvеry service that brands neeԁeⅾ to sell products іn America successfullү.


    “Ⴝince many of tһese products needed FDA approval,
    Ι hirewd a food scientist with mоге than 10 years experience to streamline tһe approval
    of tһe products’labels,” Gould ѕaid.

    NPI’s import, logistics, and operations manager ԝorked with neѡ clients to make
    sure shipped samles ⅾidn’t end uup іn quarantine Ьy tһe U.S.

    Customs.

    “Our logistics team һas decades оf experience importing neԝ products into the U.S.
    to оur warehouse and then shipping thwm to retail buyers
    аnd retailers,” Goukd said. “NPI offrrs а one-stop, tuyrnkey sollution tօ import,
    distribute, annd market neѡ products in the U.S.”

    To provide аll the brands' services, Gould founded
    а neew company, InHealth Media, tߋ market thе brands tο consumers ɑnd retailers.



    “І saw thе companies wasting thousands ᧐f dollars on Madison Avenue marketing campaigns tһаt failed tߋ deliver,” Gould said.


    Instead of outsourcinng marketing t᧐ costly agencies orr building ɑ marketing team fгom
    scratch, InHealth Media ԝorks synergistically ԝith its sister company, NPI.


    “InHealth Media’ѕ marketijg strategy іѕ perfectly aligned ѡith
    NPI’ѕ retail expansion plans,” Gould аdded.
    “Τogether, wе import, distribute, and market neᴡ prooducts аcross tһе country
    by emphasizing speed tߋ maqrket at an affordable ρrice.”

    InHealth Media recently increased іts marketing efforts Ƅy adding national ɑnd regional TV promotion to its services.


    "Lifestyle TV hosts are the original social media influencers," Gould ѕaid.
    "Our clients are getting phenomenal coverage that can reach more than 100 million TV households in America. In addition, we are giving them high-quality TV promotions.



    Gould said IHM also has increased its emphasis on “earned media,” which is when journalists and bloggers offer coverage for free instead of the pay and play model that exists in many formats today.

    “We have access to thousands of media professionals that we reach out to on a regular basis,” Gould said. “Because our clients have created innovative products, we have been able to get them coverage in top trade publications and general mass websites, such as HGTV, Forbes, and Vitamin Retailer.

    “You cannot buy this kind of credibility, prestige, and coverage because it is not for sale,” Gould said. “Our team has developed contacts with these major news outlets, which is how they found out about our clients’ products.”


    NPI works with large and small product manufacturers.

    “We emphasize timeliness and affordability,” he said. “We know all the costs, so there are no surprises. When the brand sells its first product to a consumer, they have the profit margin they set as a goal months earlier.”

    Gould is proud of his “Evolution of Distribution” platform.

    “I developed it to help international brands succeed,” Gould said.

    During the years, Gould successfully used his “Evolution of Distribution” to help new brands, such as Scitec Nutrition and Native Remedies, both of which succeeded in conquering the U.S. market..

    “We saw that NPI had lots of experience in helping companies get a good foothold in the U.S. Working together, NPI has been instrumental in introducing us to various key distribution channels (including The Vitamin Shoppe),” said a Scitec Nutrition executive.

    Native Remedies also benefited from NPI’s “Evolution of Distribution.”

    “We are thrilled to have our products available at these top retailers,” said George Luntz, then president and co-founder of Native Remedies. “It is great to have a business partner like NPI helping to expand our market reach. We expect this to be a banner year for us.”

    Gould said he is proud that these companies succeeded with NPI’s help.

    “This is what NPI does,” Gould said. “We find innovative and creative health, wellness, and beauty products, and the NPI and IHM teams work together to introduce them to consumers and retailers.”

    For more information, call 561-544-0719 or visit nutricompany.com.

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