Behind Problems There Are Always Opportunities

That problems also represent opportunities is one of those truths accepted by repeated testing. On the other hand, it is a sentence that we usually give to our friends to encourage them in times of difficulty, but that we forget when we find ourselves in the mud.

Problems are not just challenges for intelligence and reason. I wish it was like that! The difficulty is that such problems also activate many of our most instinctive or automated emotions: fear, anger, prejudices and apprehensions, intolerance …

Hence, sometimes we end up drowning in a glass of water. We lose perspective of what we are capable of and freeze in fear, evade, or simply anchor ourselves in complaint. Perhaps we have programmed ourselves to make problems a threat from which there is no way out. Perhaps we lose sight that problems are challenges and that if we face them we can become better. If not, let these men and women who have turned their problems into opportunities say so.

Elizabeth Murray, from deep trouble to light

Elizabeth Murray was born in the Bronx, USA, condemned by the circumstances of her environment to have a complicated childhood. His parents were two hippies from the 70s, who succumbed to the world of drugs. When she was born they were two addicts with little chance of recovery, as they used cocaine and heroin.

Liz Murray and her sister ate ice cubes and toothpaste, because it was the only thing they could find to put on their stomachs. To make matters worse, s us parents sick with AIDS and her mother died. His father went to a homeless asylum and his sister to live with a friend. Liz was literally left on the street when she was 15 years old.

He worked on whatever came up. At 17 he returned to school and on a visit to Harvard University he set out to get there. And he did it : he got a scholarship, thanks to the New York Times. Today she is a successful psychologist who understands human pain better than anyone. He published a successful book and his life was taken to the cinema.

Arturo Calle, a man who made austerity his strength

He is the most successful Colombian businessman in the world of men’s clothing. When he was just a child, his father died. He left a family of 8 young children and a widowed mother. To help complete the household money, he began working at a very young age. He knew the value of every penny and that is why he adapted well to a particularly austere philosophy of life.

Being a little older, he got a job where he earned a minimum wage. Still, he spent several years saving relentlessly, until he completed enough capital to open a small clothing business. His motto was: save and never go into debt.

Thus he became a successful businessman who now has his stores in almost all of Latin America. The garments he sells have a plus: they are cheap for their quality, since the company that Arturo Calle runs does not owe anyone a single cent. That allows the cost of production to be lower. He was also considered one of the 5 best employers in Colombia, since in his company all employees have their own home with the help of the company.

Wilma Rudolph, a truly inspiring story

The Wilma Rudolph thing was much more than a problem. From the time she was born she came with difficulties: it was premature and they doubted she would survive. He did, however, but at age 4 he contracted double pneumonia and caught polio. In addition, his family was poor, especially if we consider that he had to support 22 children.

His left leg was practically useless and he had to walk with the help of a brace. Despite this, at the age of 9 he decided to try to walk without help and he succeeded. At the age of 11, he managed to get into his school’s basketball team and for the first time he trusted his physical abilities. When he was 13 he decided to try out athletics. In his first race he came in last place and this same thing happened several times during the following years.

After a few years of practice, he managed to win a race and no longer stopped on the road to victory. He managed to qualify for the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and won the bronze medal for the United States. And in 1960 he obtained 2 gold medals at the Olympic Games in Rome. This triple Olympic medalist overcame a serious injury caused by polio and reached the top of world athletics.