But I also knew if I could somehow replace my doubt with hope, my fear with courage, and my self-pity with a sense of pride, then I just might be abl… - Bear Grylls

I was in and out of the hospital almost daily from then on.
They X-rayed, poked, and prodded me, and then they did it again for good measure.

Look at the stories of people who have changed the world - they have so often started with little, but they distinguished themselves by how they approached life, opportunity, relationships and struggle. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi. You name them. The list is huge but the common qualities are small.

Resourcefulness and a determination to survive the ‘lemons’ are invariably at the heart of these successes.

The secret to a life well lived is taking the resources around us - the people we know, the possessions we own, the skills we’ve acquired - and combining them in such a way that they add up to something greater than their constituent parts.

That’s the lemonade bit.

So often in the wild I have felt totally beaten, but I have kept going, kept trying to think smart, be resourceful, positive, energetic - despite the fatigue - and it has always made a critical difference.

We can’t always choose our circumstances but we can choose how we respond to what life throws at us, and there is power when we realize our ability to alter our destiny.

A life in the wild has taught me not to fear the unexpected, but to embrace it. In fact, I have learnt that those curve balls from left-field are very often the making of us.

11. There Is No Education Like Adversity

In 1941, as Britain was in the darkest days of World War Two, Churchill told a generation of young people that ‘these are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived.’

But why was Churchill telling them that those bleak, uncertain, life-threatening and freedom-challenging days were also the best days of their lives?

He knew that it’s when times are tough, when the conditions are at their worst, that we learn what we are truly capable of.

There are few greater feelings than finding out you can achieve more, and endure more, than you had previously imagined, and it’s only when we are tested that we realize just how brightly we can shine.

It’s a cliché, but it’s true: diamonds are formed under pressure. And without the pressure, they simply remain lumps of coal.

The greatest trick in life is to learn to see adversity as your friend, your teacher and your guide.

Storms come to make us stronger.

No one ever achieves their dream without first stumbling over a few obstacles along the way. Experience teaches you to understand that those obstacles are actually a really good indication that you are on the right road.

Trust me: if you find a road without any obstacles, I can promise you it doesn’t lead anywhere worthwhile.

So, embrace the adversity, embrace the obstacles, and get ready for success.

Today is the start of the greatest days of your life…