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Using Adversity

Read this great quote by John Coltrane on who innovates in the world:

Innovators always seek to revitalize, extend and reconstruct the status quo in their given fields, wherever it is needed. Quite often they are the rejects, outcasts, sub-citizens, etc. of the very societies to which they bring so much sustenance. Often they are people who endure great personal tragedy in their lives. Whatever the case, whether accepted or rejected, rich or poor, they are forever guided by that great and eternal constant — the creative urge.

This reminded me of a Forbes article I had read a while back on why dysfunctional families great great entrepreneurs. 

..of children raised in a dysfunctional family, some emerge from childhood with a keen ability to focus and take action despite discord. They develop skills to cope with uncertainty and learn how to thrive even in the face of instability. Their brains are wired for resilience.

Additional research supports the suggestion that a difficult upbringing begets a successful entrepreneur.  The pivotal trait that enables a dysfunctionally-raised child to develop into a ground-breaking entrepreneur is resilience, or adaptation in the face of adversity or trauma.

I remember chatting with J at the time about the high co-relation between family dysfunction (which she had experienced in spades by that time) and the success of the child. She asked me a question that I could not answer then or now - does that mean having an idyllic childhood a recipe for mediocrity? And what about her own kids - is she meant to create chaos in their lives just to give them a better shot at success? 

Intuitively, both questions should be answered with an empathic No. Childhood is meant to be idyllic and serve as a reservoir of happy memories that get us through more challenging times. Parents are meant to provide a stable, nurturing, loving environment so a child may thrive and blossom. But does having all those early advantages take away from grit and resilience that are key to long term success, ability to fight and prevail against adversity - I am not sure what the answer is. 

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Anonymous said…
The big question is do all kids with chaotic childhood succeed? Not really!
5:11 PM
Heartcrossings said…
Most kids with chaotic childhoods do not succeed.. but some that do end up becoming poster children for the uses of adversity. It's a lot like looking at the arc of someone's improbable career and believing that following those same steps will lead you to the same place. There could be lessons learned from such things but that's probably all.
8:24 AM
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