Emotionally Intelligent People Use This Brilliant 3-Word Phrase Above to Overcome Adversity and Move On

Faced with big challenges? Three simple words can help you make the most of what you’ve got and move forward.

My business had just suffered its worst month in years.

Things had been going downhill for a while, but I had remained hopeful. I kept whispering to myself, “Any day now… things will turn around.”

But they didn’t.

Reality hit hard, and I realized hope alone wouldn’t fix things. I needed to do something. I needed to tap into something deeper—my emotional intelligence. That inner ability to not only recognize my emotions but manage them constructively.

And that’s when I remembered a powerful phrase:

Use the difficulty.

Three words. Simple, yet transformative. They changed how I viewed the situation and ultimately helped save my business.

Why These Three Words Are So Powerful

To understand why “use the difficulty” is such a brilliant mindset shift, let’s dive into the story behind the phrase—and how it can work for you.

I first heard the phrase from the legendary English actor Michael Caine. He said he picked it up while rehearsing a play early in his career. One day during rehearsal, Caine was supposed to walk onto the stage during a chaotic scene. The actors were improvising wildly, even throwing props at each other. When Caine tried to enter, he found the door jammed by a chair.

“I can’t get in,” he said. “The door’s blocked.”

The director calmly replied:

“Use the difficulty.”

Caine was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“If it’s a comedy, fall over the chair,” the director explained. “If it’s a drama, pick it up and smash it. Whatever happens—use it.”

Caine never forgot that advice. In fact, he called it his life’s philosophy. He even taught it to his children. When life hits hard, when things go wrong, their response is instinctive: “We’ve got to use the difficulty. How can we work with this? What can we get out of this?”

Turning Setbacks Into Stepping Stones

“There’s never anything so bad that you cannot use that difficulty,” Caine once said. “If you can use it a quarter of 1 percent to your advantage, you’re ahead.”

That’s the essence of emotional intelligence in action.

We often tell ourselves that we just need to get through a tough time, that better days are ahead. And that may be true. But there’s something far more powerful in the present: learning to use the difficulty—not just survive it.

When we do, limitations become creativity triggers. Obstacles become springboards. And pain becomes purpose.

Let me bring it back to my business.

That tough month pushed me into a corner. I had no choice but to explore new approaches I’d been avoiding. I tested ideas I had shelved, took risks I had postponed, and talked with my audience more directly. And in doing so, I found hidden strengths and new ways to provide value.

I didn’t just bounce back—I broke through.

4 Powerful Questions to Help You Use the Difficulty

Whenever you’re faced with a frustrating or painful situation, try asking yourself these four questions:

1. What’s good about this situation?
   It may feel counterintuitive, but even in the darkest moments, there’s something to learn.

2. How can I use this perceived disadvantage, setback, or challenge to my advantage?
   There may be a hidden benefit or lesson that’s easy to miss.

3. If this were happening to a good friend of mine instead of me, what advice would I give them?
   This question helps you tap into empathy and objectivity.

4. What can I do right now to move forward?
   Taking just one step resets your momentum.

From Adversity to Opportunity: A New Perspective

This experience inspired me not only to embrace my difficulties but to build something meaningful from them.

Instead of letting tough times slow me down, I now see them as challenges to rise above. That mindset shift has led me to commit to a bold new project:
👉 Creating an inspiring blog post for every day of the year.

That’s right—365 posts, each designed to encourage, equip, and empower others using lessons I’ve learned, tools I’ve discovered, and stories from people like you and me.

And I’m doing it with the help of ChatGPT, my creative partner. In fact, this blog is part of a growing collection of emotionally intelligent insights that you’ll soon find inside my upcoming ChatGPT Academy—a space where I’ll teach others how to use AI to write, grow, and turn ideas into impact.

Final Thoughts

The next time life throws something unexpected your way…
…when you’re stuck, frustrated, or ready to give up…
Remember Michael Caine’s timeless wisdom:

Use the difficulty.

Because if you can turn even 1% of adversity into action, you’ve already made progress.

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And if this helped you today, remember: that difficult moment you’re in might just be the start of something powerful.

Are you interested in seeing a few more blog titles I’m working on next?