Did You Have A Tough Childhood?

Many claim intense childhood trauma "damages" a person in their adult years.

But is this necessarily true? We all have obstacles and hardships -- some of us more so than others. But although you had a tough childhood, this does NOT mean you'll have problems or failures over your entire lifetime.

Actually -- just the opposite is true!

Intense difficulties, hardships and major obstacles are actually often *major* contributors to one's success.

It's true that difficult childhoods do leave some people wounded and disadvantaged. But for others ... a tough childhood actually drove them to outrageous achievement and success! The difference is one's resourcefulness and determination.

Adversity and Greatness
In a classic book -- Cradles of Eminence -- researchers Victor and Mildred Goertzel reviewed the childhood family life of 700 of the world's most successful people.

Their goal was to identify the early experiences that contributed to the remarkable achievements of these successful people.

All of their "research subjects" are widely known for their personal accomplishments. Their names are easily recognizable: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Albert Schweitzer, Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, etc.

What they discovered was fascinating!

Three-quarters of these successful people (525 of the 700) came from deeply troubled childhoods. They had endured extreme poverty, broken Homes ... and even parental abuse.

Over one-fourth (199 of the 700) had to deal with very serious physical handicaps such as deafness, blindness or crippled limbs. And over 80% of those who became successful writers and playwrights had watched their own parents struggle with intense psychological dramas.

The Goertzel's concluded that the drive to "compensate" for their disadvantages actually drove these people straight into the arms of outrageous personal achievement.

The Triumph of a "Homely" Woman
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, a former U.S. "First Lady" provides an excellent example. Anna was orphaned at 10, and had a childhood of utter anguish.

As a young girl she was painfully aware of being very Homely. And her childhood writings reveal she never had a sense of "belonging" anywhere, or to anyone.

According to Victor Wilson of the Newhouse News Service, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was "a rather humorless introvert (and) an unbelievably shy young woman, unable to overcome her personal insecurity ... and with a deep conviction of her own inadequacies."

But as she matured, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt refused to remain "disadvantaged."

She took hold of her own bootstraps and began to pull herself up into a higher, more powerful consciousness.

After marrying, she ended up courageously nursing her husband through crippling polio. Then when he (Franklin Roosevelt) was elected to the U.S. Presidency in the depth of the Great Depression, Mrs. Roosevelt quickly transformed the position of First Lady.

As First Lady, she became an outspoken supporter for the downtrodden of all races, religions and countries -- at the same time managing the White House, and raising six children. (Do YOU consider yourself "too busy" to reach out and claim your full potential?)

After her husband's death, she spent the remainder of her life as a highly-respected American spokesperson to the United Nations.

At her death this shy, disadvantaged, Homely and withdrawn young woman had became one of the most loved and revered women of her entire generation.WHY did this happen?

Eleanor Roosevelt made a PERSONAL CHOICE to lift herself beyond her perceived "limitations."

As Victor Wilson said, "From some inner wellspring, Mrs. Roosevelt summoned a tough, unyielding courage, tempered by remarkable self-control and self-discipline."

The "Adversity Principle"
Obstacles and hardships do NOT have t