Has life dealt you any setbacks along your journey? Here’s some advice from two guys who have shared your experience:

Lee Iacocca went to work for the Ford Motor Company in 1946 as an engineer, but it was in sales that he distinguished himself. He quickly rose through the ranks and in 1964, at age 40, was named president of the Ford Division. He is credited with helping to design many of Ford’s more popular cars, including the legendary Mustang. He eventually ascended to the top of the pyramid and was named president of the Ford Motor Company. But clashes with Henry Ford II led to his eventual firing in 1978, the very year the company posted a $2 billion profit.

It seemed Iacocca’s stellar career had hit a dead end. But that personal setback turned out to be a blessing. The following year, he took over as president and CEO of the struggling Chrysler Corporation and returned the company to profitability. He served in that role until 1992 and, along the way, authored several best-selling books and headed up the foundation that restored the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. He’s considered one of America’s most successful and respected businessmen.

Here’s a little advice from the chairman of the board: “In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.”

In 1976, at age 20, college dropout Steve Jobs and his friend, Steve Wozniak, started a company in a garage. Despite a few failed attempts, they turned Apple (named in memory of a happy summer Jobs spent as an orchard worker in Oregon) into a major force. Just 10 years later, the Macintosh computer had catapulted their start-up business into a $2 billion company with more than 4,000 employees. Unfortunately, Jobs was fired from the company he started after a battle for control with CEO John Sculley, the very man he had recruited from Pepsi Cola to run his company.

During the next five years, after licking his wounds, Jobs started two new companies, NeXTStep and Pixar. Pixar, of course, became the famous computer-animated film company that made blockbuster movies such as Toy Story, and eventually merged with Disney.

By 1996, 30 years after its creation, Apple was experiencing intense pressure from Microsoft and was posting billions in losses. Guess who was brought back to right the ship? With such innovations as the iPod and iPhone, Apple is considered one of the most successful and innovative companies in the world.

Looking back, what did Jobs learn from that experience?

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick,” he said. “Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.”

Good advice. And thank God for adversity!