How to overcome adversity… advice from someone who has

Sometimes it seems as if opportunities will never come your way because you are hampered by lack of education, a physical problem, and situations only you know about.

In his book, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future, high school dropout Michael J. Fox gives great advice and an optimistic view of life. It’s peppered with humor.

No education? He learned economics as a starving artist. He learned political science along the way. His approach to literature involved comparing books to their movie versions. In time, he received honorary degrees from several universities.

With his acting career in full swing, he also learned what happens when “life goes skidding sideways.” Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at age 30, but kept working. He disclosed the disease in 1998 but was able to continue working for another two years on Spin City. Then his symptoms became more apparent.

For Fox, the virtual end of one career led him to something else. While battling his own disease, he created the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which seeks a cure for Parkinson’s.

He could have spent the rest of his life in an easy chair. But he wanted to do more. He started writing books.

The titles of his first two, Lucky Man and Always Looking Up tell his story of optimism. They are New York Times bestsellers and his new book is headed in the same direction. It’s recommended reading for new college graduates.

Did he have fame and fortune on his side? Yes, but when life handed him a trump card, he refused to give up.

At age 55 now, his life can remind us that, whatever our circumstances, there are still opportunities out there for us if we continue to work toward them.