What is the secret ingredient of tough people that enables them to succeed? Why do they survive the tough times when others are overcome by them? Why do they win when others lose? Why do they soar when others sink?

The answer is very simple. It's all in how they perceive their problems. Yes, every living person has problems. A problem-free life is an illusion-a mirage¹ in the desert. Accept that fact.

Every mountain has a peak. Every valley has its low point. Life has its ups and downs, its peaks and its valleys. No one is up all the time, nor are they down all the time. Problems do end. They are all resolved in time.

You may not be able to control the times, but you can compose your response. You can turn your pain into profanity -or into poetry. The choice is up to you. You may not have chosen your tough time, but you can choose how you will react to it.

For instance, what is the positive reaction to a terrible financial setback²? In this situation would it be the positive reaction to copout and runaway³? Escape through alcohol, drug, or suicide? No! Such negative reactions only produce greater problems by promising⁴ a temporary solution to the pressing problem.

The positive solution to a problem may require courage to initiate⁵ it. When you control your reaction to the seemingly uncontrollable problem of life, then in fact you do control the problem's effect on you. Your reaction to the problem is the last word! That's the bottom line. What will you let this problem do to you? It can make you tender or tough. It can make you better or bitter. It all depends on you.

In the final analysis, the tough people who survive the tough times do so because they've chosen to react positively⁶ to their predicament. Tough times never last, but tough people do. Tough people stick it out. History teaches us that every problem has a lifespan.

No problem is permanent. Storms always give way to the sun. Winter always thaws⁸ into springtime. Your storm will pass. Your winter will thaw⁷. Your problem will be solved.