Gino Pugliese - Finding Strength Through Adversity

Have you ever experienced a real setback in life? Of course, we all have, and this may include losing someone we love, or experiencing a sudden personal crisis with one’s economic stability and security, or facing a debilitating disease or injury, and so forth. It has been said that it is not a question of experiencing setbacks but rather what determines our true mettle is how we react to setbacks once they have befallen us. There are as many ways to react to adverse circumstances and situation as there are human beings on the planet. We are such an infinitely complex and diverse species, with brains that receive and process information and data in so many ways, that it is a given to expect different people to respond in different ways to the same type of misfortune. 

However, in the case of Gino Pugliese, we can see a prime example of how a man can react to adversity one way, and then make up his mind to really make the most of the adverse straits he finds himself in and transform the challenging situation into a very positive life-changing experience. Pugilism has always been a champion athlete in a variety of sports and activities, but his path was suddenly and severely derailed during a rugby match when he was 35 years old, and in which he suffered a serious injury that laid him up in the hospital for an extended period. 

The worst part of it, however, was the fact that due to the type and severity of his injury, Pugliese could never play sports again, nor engage in the body building or wrestling events for which he had become world famous. No, now life as he knew it was over, once and for all. Many people faced with such disappointing news would retreat into a cave and become depressed, and this is essentially what happened to Pugliese - but not for long. First, he began gaining weight, and eventually grew to nearly 400 pounds. 

But, at precisely the darkest moment, Gino Pugliese turned his life around, completely. He returned to college, earned a Master’s degree in Health Sciences, and went on to become a successful and pioneering business manager. Pugliese faced adversity, and transformed his life through it. His example stands out as one which we all can follow.