HOW EVERY ADVERSITY IS A MILESTONE

WRITTEN BY : Patricia Nikole Valdecañas

“Your attitude determines your actions, and your actions determine your accomplishment.” ―

John C. Maxwell

Today’s society views intellect as one of the many important variables of success. It is a dated way of thinking to gauge achievement by one’s intelligence quotient (IQ). Being successful involves more than just being smart; it also involves building a character that can adjust to adverse environments. Because of this, some intellectually brilliant people cannot live up to society’s expectation that they prosper before those who are disadvantaged. This marks the introduction of the Adversity Quotient.

The Adversity Quotient (AQ) is a new paradigm that redefines the basis of success. According to Paul Stoltz, AQ is “a scientifically-grounded set of tools for improving how you respond to adversity, and, as a result, your overall personal and professional effectiveness.”

In his book, Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities, he introduces the three types of people that we encounter in life–the Quitters, Campers, and Climbers. The Quitters are types of people who have a low AQ, they are those who readily give up in the face of difficulty. The Campers are those with an average adversity quotient, and unlike quitters, they try before giving up. Meanwhile, Campers are those who go as far and say, “this is as far as I can (or want to) go.” Lastly, Climbers are those with a high adversity quotient. Climbers are those who go far beyond their comfort zone. They are the most dedicated people who won’t allow any hurdle to get in their way of success.

But how can overcoming adversity improve academic performance? Here are some tips and explanations for boosting it.

Adversity Quotient pictures how well you do in various aspects of life including productivity, learning and creativity, pace, energy, physical and emotional health, and your response to change. So, if you are one of those people who are anxious that they are not as clever as others, AQ will be your knight in shining armor. And take note, AQ can be

LAYOUT BY : Aubrey Mae Maula

improved!

Like how most people say it, experience is the best teacher. AQ influences productivity in a way that people with higher AQ have more control over stressful situations. Additionally, it diminishes the thought of giving up once things do not go the way they planned, thus, increasing their productivity. Students with higher adversity quotient improve their creative thinking skills more than those with lower AQ (Putri, et al., 2019). AQ also influences a student’s learning outcome. Research shows that students with higher AQ have favorable learning outcomes than those with lower AQ (Sigit, et al., 2019).

Most people believe that the only constant thing in life is change. Penny Locaso believes that people nowadays face a serious “adaptability skill gap” that causes significant stress. She cites Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, it is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” She also mentions that if a person suffers to respond to change, one should work on improving their AQ; and according to PEAK Learning, “AQ drives velocity”.

Resilience is one factor that averts the emergence of mental health problems. Knowing well how to respond and handle hardships affects your overall physical and mental health; it prevents you from being drowned by hardships. Resilience assists you to handle stressful situations better and enables you to keep on performing effectively, according to Mayo Clinic. According to Lisa Neff and Elizabeth Broady, “individuals who are exposed to moderately stressful experiences and who have the initial resources necessary to overcome those stressors may develop a resilience to the deleterious effects of later stress.” Likewise, PEAK Learning suggests that a higher AQ results in being more optimistic, thus, having greater energy.

Stoltz also said that if there is one area in which you can concentrate to improve many elements of your life and achieve