In studying resilience and the sweet uses of adversity, and listening to coaching clients, I discover the same things over and over again. After a given point in time, the person acknowledges that a lot of good things have come from their adversities.

Mind you it isn’t a guarantee that you’ll reach this resolution, but many people do end up being not only what they call “better people,” but also happier – by their self-report and by my observations.

I like to check around about things, and I found an interesting study done by Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, comparing the well-being of lottery winners versus people who had become suddenly paralyzed.

The results of the study were that after the initial high was over for the lottery winners, they were no

For the paralyzed individuals there was the initial shock of adjustment, but after that early distress eased, it turns out they were “much better able to appreciate the small pleasures and victories of life” than those who were overnight millionaires. They felt much more optimistic about their future than the lottery winners!

Should you go looking for adversity in order to bring character and happiness? Of course not. But if it happens, it helps to know that for many people, the outcomes are favorable.

©Susan Dunn, MA Clinical Psychology, The EQ Coach. Emotional intelligence coaching for all areas of your life – career, relationships, leadership, conflict resolution, communication, resilience, stress management, optimism. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezines.