Worthy Adversaries

"He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper."--Edmund Burke

I've noticed a running theme in my everyday conversations lately that have addressed a similar theme. The first time I noticed it was in a book group I belong to at work in which we were talking about how we all have encountered someone at work or in our personal lives that seemed to make everything more difficult. One of the women in the group told us that she had learned to think of them as "Worthy Adversaries." They can also be characterized as the people who teach us by being an example of what NOT to do or those that set us up to fail because of their own insecurities.

The most random example of this coming up in conversation was when I was getting my haircut and the woman was telling me of a former supervisor that kept moved her from her position as a manager at a location she had worked very hard to make the number one in the region, to one of the lesser successful locations and then scolded her because her numbers were down from the month before.

I've had my share of worthy adversaries and I think about them frequently. But I have found such strength and inspiration in all these reminders of how everyone has encountered what seems like needless opposition at some point in their lives. And it reminds me that the push against us is never needless. Each of the people, or even situations, that I have encountered that were worthy adversaries were the times I realized or was even told that I should not let myself shrink because someone told, but I should allow myself to be as big as I want so I can come through it knowing I did all that I could. I am grateful for worthy adversaries and admire all of us that utilized the opportunity to learn from them and came closer to our true potential in the process.