Hi everyone,
I hope everyone is having a good beginning of 2021. Today’s topic is challenges. Rather, how we behave when we face challenges.
Life comes with some bumps on the road. It is not ideal to expect to have a life in which everything goes as we plan. The first step in dealing with challenges is to accept that there are challenges. To accept that some things will be difficult for us. We cannot act strong at all times, because in truth, we cannot be.
The second step is to decide whether the challenge is worth facing. There is no point in dealing with difficulties that do not contribute to us. For example, we don’t have to do the extra work in the office to prove that we are good employees. We can use the time spent for this unnecessary challenge for something better. For example, we can spend more time with our families or take up a hobby that we actually enjoy. Mind you, we can do extra work if it is absolutely necessary or it benefits in some way. But just not to ‘prove’ something.
Once we decide something is a challenge worth pursuing, then the next step is to decide how we can go about it. Here, small steps are vital. Thinking about finishing the whole project may be daunting. But breaking it into small steps is not. It is much less scary that way. Instead of thinking about writing a book as a whole and therefore being deferred by it, we can focus on a small part of the whole plot and start writing that. I fall into this trap every now and then.
An alternative behavior I have seen when people decide that something is a challenge is avoidance. Behaving that the challenge does not exist. I am not like this, so I don’t know how this feels. I can see how it can be attractive, though. I would appreciate if you could share your experiences if you tend to have this approach.
Then, with each small step we accomplish, we feel more fulfilled and move towards the challenge in a more determined way.
Sounds simple, right? Spoiler alert: It is not.
How do you deal with challenges? What are some challenges you find hard to deal with? Let’s talk about challenges this week.