The Armoured Mistfrog certainly lives up to its name and provides an invaluable lesson in how to overcome adversity.

This tiny creature is only 1.5 inches long and an article on Discovery Channel said that these frogs had not been seen in Australia since 1991. Many scientists thought that were extinct - wiped out by the devastating chytrid fungus which decimated frog populations around the world.

However, recently 30-40 Armoured Mistfrogs have been found and here's what's intriguing. The frogs that have been found are infected with the dreaded fungus but it does not appear to be making them sick. Somehow they have learned to surviving with what is potentially a life-threatening fungus.

The resilience of these frogs demonstrates that even although "bad" things can happen to us we don't necessarily have to succumb to adverse circumstances.

We can learn to adapt.

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant."
Horace

Around the world companies are crashing and jobs are tumbling at an alarming rate. And to quote Horace again, now more than ever is the time to "keep an even mind". Undoubtedly some individuals will be crushed by the circumstances they found themselves in; others will relish these conditions. They love stormy weather it brings out the best in them.

If anyone was ever in doubt, there is no security in a 9-5 job. It has been said that the only predictable way to become wealthy is to own your own business. And, if you think that now is the worse possible time to start a business you couldn't be further from the truth.

However, this statement should perhaps be tempered by adding that some individuals are not suited to be out and out business owners or entrepreneurs. This does not mean that you cannot find ways to boost your current income from a regular job.

When setting up a business to survive and thrive tough economic times there are several factors to consider so that you effectively recession-proof your business and ensure business success.

Here are 5 critical things that you need to learn when building or growing a business during an economic downturn:

1. Where you need to make cuts during a recession.

2. Where you need to spend more during a recession.

3. How to automate and systematise your business.

4. How to work on your business as opposed to working in your business.

5. How to boost your self-esteem so that your self-confidence remains high when dealing with the many challenges that you will face.

Putting these elements into place will help to ensure that your business not only survives a recession but also thrives during tough economic times.