In our path of life, we seek ease, A gentle breeze to carry us with grace, But challenges arrive, like storms that seize, And push us into paths we can’t embrace.
Oh, how we wish for roads without a thorn, Where petals line the way, without a care, Yet struggles come, like shadows that are born, To teach us how to rise, to learn, to dare.
In moments when the world feels like a weight, When darkness shrouds the dreams we hold so dear, Remember, it’s the trials that navigate, To forge the strength that will dispel our fear.
Through hurdles vast, we find our truest might, For in the crucible, we’re refined gold, Each obstacle, a chance to take to flight, To be the best version our hearts can hold.
Embrace the growth that springs from every test, For deep within, resilience takes root, With each challenge, a chance to be our best, And find a strength that’s boundless and acute.
So let us welcome trials with open heart, As opportunities for growth and change, Through ups and downs, we’ll carve our unique art, And on life’s canvas, colors rearrange.
For though we long for ease throughout the way, It’s challenges that help our souls ascend, They shape us, mold us, make us who we may, And lead us to our finest self, my friend.
I heard once it is possible that of the more than 7 billion people on this planet, most will live out the entirety of their life and never contemplate anything deep or thoughtful about their existence before they die. It makes me think everyone should spend a little time each day considering their cosmic presence.
But maybe life is more comfortable, not considering the meaning of things. Thoughts about how you look at life and why we are here develop around our mindset. Recently I read the book Mindset by Carol S. Dweck. She discusses the two significant attitudes that exist, the growth mindset and the fixed mindset. Excellent thought for how you approach life, learning, and success presents here, and it would be worth your while to take the time to read through this one.
Know Your Fixed Mind
The bottom line is most people pull from both sides of this spectrum, having characteristics of each mindset, depending on the situation. First is the fixed mindset. The belief that you have the talent to do something or you don’t. Much of your self-esteem builds by results, rankings, and the ease with which something is accomplished. Challenges are avoided, and change is not welcome. In a fixed mindset, people focus on limiting you and often feel helpless when needing to change a situation. Criticism is seen as a personal attack, and they rarely leave their comfort zone. Most important, though, is the fixed mindset that thinks putting effort into something is a waste, and they rarely seek to learn new things.
I would be harder on this mindset, but I have practiced it for large parts of my life in many areas. We worry more about appearances than what would make us happier, better, or contribute significantly to the world. Beginning to recognize the fixed mindset in me has allowed me to step beyond it and look for ways to become better. Fear is behind the fixed mindset of not being accepted as who we are. Fear of not being perfect. Fear of experiencing failure. That is what happens when we let the results define our lives and provide our value. The narrow, limiting view of the fixed mindset, driven by fear, is how many live their lives. I hope to leave doubt far behind me.
Step Into Your Growth Mindset
If you look at your life, the moments when you felt the best about yourself and your accomplishments probably came from practicing the growth mindset. We welcome challenges in this frame of mind because we see their ability to help us become better and wiser and contribute more. We embrace change as an inevitable part of life. Continually seek opportunities to build. The thought is that anything is possible with the right plan, consistent practice, and maximum effort. Growth mindset, people, see learning and constructive criticism as something to be desired and sought out. New things are pleasant, and they love exploring them.
There is a lesson that will lead to your ultimate success in every failure if you take the time to learn about it. Rather than being afraid of not knowing, these people see challenges as an excellent opportunity to become better at whatever they are diving into. In a typical school, the growth mindset is not encouraged or recognized. Becoming better or growing should be life’s number one goal because growth brings purpose, fun, and interest and allows the best version of yourself to rise to the surface.
Building the Growth Mindset
Look at yourself and how you approach new things. Are you afraid to fail? Do you worry so much about what others think you limit yourself, give a half-hearted effort, or see failing as the worst thing possible? If you do, you are operating from a fixed mindset. We all tend to have a limited and growth-oriented mindset, depending on what area of life we live in. In some ways, we might be fearless and growth-oriented, and in others, we can be fearful and operating c
“Amid winter, I found there was within me an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says, no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within, there’s something stronger- something better, pushing right back.”
“Every mistake you make is progress toward accomplishment.”
Everybody has problems of one kind or another. First, we need to define the issue because a problem only exists if you believe it is a problem. I prefer the more accurate evaluation of these situations, calling it a challenge. That is a word that more aptly describes the situations we experience. The very definition of a problem is negative, “a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome.” Whereas the definition of a challenge is best defined as “a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities.” Let’s face it, these situations arise in life all the time, and whether you welcome them or not, they give you a chance to test your abilities and improve. It is a matter of perspective, but it isn’t everything. Stuff is going to happen in life. It is your choice if you grow from it or get through it. I am choosing to rise from the challenges I face—five steps for handling any challenge you face today.
What is Great about This Challenge?
You tend to look at what you don’t want with a problem. Facing a challenge, there is an opportunity to look at a situation more positively. Asking yourself what is great about a situation will inevitably lead you to answer. Challenges allow us to grow and learn. So when you are faced with a situation, rather than look at it as an unwanted visitor, treat it as a welcomed guest. Some challenges are covered in sadness, and some are depressing, but there can be positive results. Even in a sad situation of loss, there is something that can allow you to grow as a person. It is up to you to find it. It is a matter of perspective. The situation is what it is. You can learn from it or run from it. Listing significant or positive about a challenge gives you a positive focus and an ability to achieve.
What is not perfect yet?
When evaluating a challenge, it is essential to know how you would like to see it resolved. Some situations can’t be changed, but given the challenges’ realities, decide what is not perfect. By answering this question, you can develop a plan of action to start to bring those things that are not perfect in your perspective into reality. Since nothing is perfect, there is always work to be done.
What Am I Willing To Do To Make This Challenge something I want?
There are going to be actions that we can take every day to face challenges in life. What you are willing to do is a statement of the priority a challenge holds for you. If you have a high level of motivation to resolve a problem, it shows your dedication to learning and being your best self. We all must be willing to understand that we are always a work in progress. Every person can get better, think better, live better, and be a better person. You can dictate exactly what you hope to get from any challenge you face. Since growth results from facing challenges, be willing to step into your growth.
What am I No Longer Willing To Do To Make This Challenge something I want?
As priorities are developed, we notice that we are no longer willing to do to make a challenge what you want. There is only one direction you can move in life, and some challenges will not give you anything of value. Some you can’t choose to experience, but other challenges you can leave and walk away from. Your actions and willingness to behave will show you which of your challenges.
How Can I Enjoy the Process While I Do What is necessary to make the Experience What I want?
All experiences can bring joy or suffering; our perspective on them is a choice. Asking yourself what you can do to enjoy an experience will automatically get those answers into your head. These positive thoughts will lead to more positive reviews. Then you have to choose to take action and enjoy what you are doing. Challenges will come, and we will have to face them one way or another.
Following this process of challenging questions will give you a different perspective on the things we face in life. Since we will live life and continually face one challenge, it makes sense to develop a system that will allow you to enjoy the ride as much as possible. Or you can choose to be miserable. Answering these questions honestly to yourself could be the path to getting the most out of the challenges you face. The choice is always up to you.
“If you expect life to be easy, challenges will seem difficult. If you accept that challenges may occur, life will be easier.”-Rob Liano.
“Some people will just go with the flow of things and sway in life, while others will fight against the currents and go upstream to reach their destiny.”-Anthony Liccione.
“Others can stop you temporarily — you are the only one who can do it permanently. “- Zig Ziglar.
Your perspective on life will determine your success, and that is the way of it, whether you like it or not. How you look at the experiences you have will choose your thoughts on life, the people in your life, the places you go, and ultimately which goals are achievable and which are not. Even the most talented and motivated people will not be at their best every day, and if you are not functioning at your highest capacity, are you contributing in every moment? Does every minute of your life matter to the results of your experiences and accomplishments?
My philosophy is that every minute in your life matters, and those who take the time to evaluate themselves, their efforts, and where their place in the world can find value in each moment. We are limited in the number of minutes we have in life, and it is up to us what we do with them. The choice of enjoyment or boredom is yours and yours alone each day. And, of course, who is to say what one seemingly little minute in your life will lead to? Every minute is the gateway to the best version of yourself. Do you walk through it, stand in front, or walk away from it?
Life Is Short
Our human experience is valuable because there is no clear ending to the journey. It could be many years, or it could be in five minutes. Nobody knows. Yet most of us live our lives as if all the time in the world is at our disposal. It isn’t, and the acceptance and understanding that at some point, this life is going to end give all experiences, moments, and minutes a meaning. Each one will matter before the end, for sure, and often to others around you. What are you doing with your time?
Most people do not live life consciously thinking about the value of the minutes, but if you take a minute and think about it, you can find ways to make each of your minutes a little more valuable. Just as gold or diamonds have a perceived value because of their rarity, should your minutes be treated. Each one is unique and will never come again. Spending time doing what makes you come alive is the most meaningful way is the best way to make your moments last. You get the choice to appreciate what you have in your life or not.
You Choose The Value of Your Minutes
The choice is the action that makes our lives uniquely our responsibility. We choose the value of all things in our lives. We decide how valuable the people we spend time with are or are not. Is this day disappointing, or is it the gateway to something beautiful? That is a choice only you can make about your own life, and you make it every minute. Don’t accept that some minutes are better than others because of factors outside of yourself. That makes you the victim of circumstance and not the master of your fate. You choose on the inside the value that any activity has to you. That is being proactive and will lead to greater enjoyment. If you are reading, decide to value it.
Some would question if you find value if you are not contributing to something or building toward something. But I think your life is something and each moment has a chance to be built into whatever you want. You may not see the value now, but two years from now or a week from now, you will realize the foundation you have started today. If you are not currently building toward something, then you have the power to create a purpose for yourself. Start a new project. Look for a place you can make a difference. Move your sphere of awareness to what you can contribute to the world to make things better in a small way. Helping others provides a feeling of contributing to the world and building a better life for yourself. You are the only one who can choose to value each minute you have.
Responsible for Meaning
Who is to say what value is. It may be one thing, and another person may find something different to be of value to them. Personal choice is going to play a role in this. Look at the last year of my life. Some moments were better than any I have ever known and some worse than any I could imagine. For sure, both of them were valuable for different reasons. Significant change inside of myself has been the result of both extremes. Goals have been reached, which could never have been achieved in any other way. My perspective on life has adjusted more positively because of these learning moments.
Each moment good and evil forced me to change how I looked at myself and dealt with my emotions. All of life is a learning experience, and in this classroom, you are the one who decides if you “pass” and take something significant into the next moment of your life. Or if you “fail” and sit around, feeling sorry for yourself. You are the only one who can choose the value of your life and the moments in it. If you decide to be more honest, open, and understanding because of your experience, it has value. In each moment you live. We are responsible for ourselves and our happiness. You can’t blame anyone else, and you can’t wait for that job, person, or experience to provide value to your life. You have to do it yourself.
Never Underestimate Your Value
We are all connected in this journey of life. We create barriers to separate ourselves from everyone else, but still, there are far more things that join us all. We are all searching for the meaning of one sort or another. Each person we come in contact with has an impact of some kind on them and us. Even if it is minimal, it is still an influence. You can decide how you let that influence affect you. Some people measure the value of their life through degrees earned, awards won, or even material possessions collected. But none of these things truly define a person’s worth. That can only be determined by the positive manner in which they affect the lives of people they come in contact with.
Look at your life and see what positive things you have contributed to the lives of others. Are people better off for your being in their life? If you doubt your contribution, then make a conscious choice to be more of an influence. It doesn’t take money, and it takes a conscious decision to make your life meaningful every minute. Simple things like honesty, encouragement, gratitude, appreciation, and joy of experience can change others’ lives. In looking to make others’ lives better, the life you really will change is your own. The answers to any problem you face might appear at this very minute, and I can’t think of anything more valuable than that.
“While we are postponing, life speeds by.” Seneca
“If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality.” Benjamin Franklin
“Spare moments are the gold dust of time.” Bishop Hail
“I’ve always believed in savoring the moments. In the end, they are the only things we’ll have.” Anna Godbersen
“To do two things at once is to do neither.” Publilius Syrus
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” Marcus Aurelius
“When you spend time worrying, you’re simply using your imagination to create things you don’t want.” Shannon L. Alder
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” Bruce Lee
Do you want to know what is important to someone? Anyone at all? Look at their lives, and you will see the things in them that describe what they are thinking and talking about. It never fails. This process means listening and observing below the surface of the conversation. If you are living from your ego, then you are a fixed mindset person, which will dictate your focus on making sure your image is protected rather than nurturing who you are. What you think and talk about expands, and what you ignore and keep to yourself does not. Where is your focus today? Choose it wisely.
Focus on Growth through Change
I hope to develop a continual focus on growth as a person, which means embracing changes. This philosophy is not straightforward because sometimes change hurts emotionally. To face a difference in your life may require you to leave all you know and move to a new location. You may have to leave a loved one behind. It may require you to abandon some beliefs you have held on to. Growth is a process that embraces change, and change can only be accepted and influential if you focus on it as a benefit. Attitude is everything, and when push comes to shove, most people don’t want to change a thing in their lives. Either they like something in their lives and fear losing it. Or, if things are bad, they might worsen if change happens. Dislike of change can be an instinctual reaction.
Every day there are changes from the day before. Sometimes the changes are subtle and almost invisible. Other times they are monumental and life-altering. Change is inevitable and constant; learn to embrace the changes coming to you. Focus on accepting the changes happening in your life. See them become better and speak about them that way. Focus on the growth you see in your life as a good thing, and it will be. Look at difference as a painful loss, and that experience will be yours just as easy. Your focus will determine the growth of an idea in this genre.
Challenges Are Great
The same mental attitude applies to the challenges we face. Focus on the positive things a problem brings. Learn to embrace them. An issue will pop up all the time, and some people try to avoid them at all costs. It is much easier to drift down a river unencumbered. But no matter how much you try, eventually, rocks will be in your way, and either you learn to navigate around them or get crushed on them. That is a matter of mindset.
Look at successful businesses but never look at the terrain ahead. What works today may not work tomorrow. Embracing the challenge of the effects of new technology or a societal shift in purchasing will be the difference between failure and thrive moving forward. How you focus your mind will determine the fate of your business. There is little chance to grow if your focus is where you are. Focus where you want to go, allowing you to handle what rocks are in your way.
Do you Think People can Learn things, or are they born with the talent?
Ego tells us talent is everything. But is it? Where is your focus? There will be cases where a person is just gifted with a God-given ability to do something, but to be great, you can’t have a fixed mindset. A limited perspective will lead you to make attachments in your mind to a particular outcome of any activity, limiting the number of experiences. There is a near unlimited list of possible issues that exist, some you may never have thought of and would enjoy the best. Limiting your experience is also a sign that you live through your ego. Challenges are avoided, and if you would instead give up than be proven wrong, you are anchoring your experiences to a fixed point.
Most people, including me, have a narrow focus when we approach some things with a fixed mindset. I catch myself all the time having thoughts that could come from growth. Noticing these thoughts for what they are will allow you to make a different choice and grow from an experience. Skills can be learned, developed, and mastered over time. Decide what you want to do, and then pursue it. Ask questions, and learn from all sources that make sense. Do not be afraid not to know something because you will find the answers once you know you don’t know. Other people will help you become better, which is not bad.
The first sentence of this writing tells a story about what you think about and talk about as life expands. If you focus on your problems, guess what you will have more of? If you focus on the good things in life, imagine what you will have more of? It is all up to you and your focus. Look long and hard at the decisions you are making that direct your attention. Then look at your life and what you are getting out of it and see the connection between them. If you don’t like it, change your focus to something more growth-oriented, making a difference.
“That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it because once you get there, you can move mountains.”- Steve Jobs.
“The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire, not things we fear.”- Brian Tracy.
Age is just a number. However, some numbers are much more intimidating than others, and turning 50 is one. It happened to me a few years ago and to a friend of mine just this week.
To me, at this milestone, I have conflicting feelings. I assume all people are the same. I have fears and insecurities about life, just as I did when I turned 40, 30, 20, or even 10. Hopefully, I have developed tools and learned lessons that have helped me positively navigate the aging process—embracing the experience. Reflection is one of the tools that I use to understand the value of an incident. To take that lesson into living my life every day.
Challenges
Life is designed to bring a series of challenges we all have to navigate. Each challenge presents us with choices. Choices that define our lives. A problem may overwhelm us, crush us, and destroy our confidence if we allow them to. However, there is always another choice. To seek the better version of ourselves and choose to rise and live our lives in a way that reflects the best version of the living. These choices we have been making from the beginning and will continue to build until we reach the inevitable end. The challenges we face and the choices we make about them will dictate the experience of our lives.
People tend to keep their most painful lessons to themselves. This secrecy is to keep up a perception that we are in control. Handling all events efficiently and with style. In Reality, all people are just making it up as they go. It is self-delusion, and a person believes they understand it all. There is always more, no matter how much one learns, observes, and understands. The vast undiscovered iceberg of knowledge is still floating toward us undiscovered. There is always something else to learn and more growth to achieve.
Growth
To be your best is the ultimate goal of life. Not to accumulate a large cache of material possessions but to become the best version of yourself. That is where the challenges come in. Without change, things become stagnant.
The opportunity for growth is constant.
Often we become so comfortable in life, just the prospect of change is tremendously scary.
Reflection and growth can only come when challenged and forced to take in new information and experiences. Life is a gift, and you need to grow to get the most out of it. The alternative is to shrink a little each day until your gs are challenging to remember and your passion has faded.
Fortunately, it is never too late to recapture the passion for your dream. Your creativity is still there, dormant underneath all of the routine, predictability, and conforming expectation behavior. It is just waiting for you to remember. The sad thing is that many will not remember, but you decide your destiny.
You choose your path and direction. You allow life’s experience to push you. Will you fight or flee? Will you stand proud or hide in shame? Only you can decide.
I have turned 50 and feel I am only at the beginning of things. I am ready for the growth and the challenge of life. I look forward to it, and I embrace it. Regardless of your age, I wonder how you face life.
“There must be a goal at every stage of life! There must be a goal!” – Maggie Kuhn
“Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength” – Betty Friedan
“This is a youth-oriented society, and the joke is on them because youth is a disease from which we all recover.” – Dorothy Fuldheim
“Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” – Franz Kafka
“You can only perceive real beauty in a person as they grow older.” -Anouk Aimee
I believe that all challenges in life bring with them the opportunity to grow and become better. The pandemic times of today get an excellent chance to become better people. In the way, we think, act, and in the amount of compassion we show others. One of the things I am working on today is understanding my mind to bring my best to the table, should this isolation ever end, and I am allowed to venture freely out into the world again. I want to share four habits I am trying to practice in all areas of life to become a better person and to have the sacrifices we have all made have some intrinsic value.
I read about these habits as they apply to Navy SEALs training, which is some of the most difficult mental and physical challenges any person can face. Looking at those that passed and those that dropped out, there are four mental habits that you can apply to your life and become mentally and physically more demanding.
Focus on the Now
When you are doing a task, painful or not, focus on completing that as best you can and don’t time looking to the past, thinking of past failures. It is also defeating to look at the 52 other things you have to do once this task is complete. Focus on the right now. If you are on a three-mile run with a full pack, focus on this one step, then the next, not the distance you still have to cover.
You can apply this idea to tasks in your life by focusing solidly on what you are doing right now and giving it your best effort. I work in production right now, and it doesn’t do any good to complain about how long the day is when you are just getting started. It does do good to focus on completing the task at hand, one thing at a time. Our focus is powerful when you do this. It can be challenging as others place demands on you but move methodically through your tasks one at a time, and soon you will have everything done and done well. Focus on the right now.
2. Imagine Joy
Challenges are complicated, and to complete them and maintain your positive attitude. It will help you remember accomplishments from your past and how good it felt when you finished them. Just as you focus on the now, break your immense task down into smaller steps on a list and have an inner celebration as you check them off your list. Learning to transfer feelings of success from our experiences onto today will allow you to move with vitality and purpose through the functions of the day.
Each accomplishment gives your brain a hit of positivity, and this will fuel you through your day. Rather than look at the tasks you are facing and diminishing them or yourself, which will only bring you a negative attitude and a bad day along with it. The more you practice the mental exercise of putting joy, success, and accomplishment in all things you do, the easier it will be for you in all areas of your life.
3. Breathe
Breath in for 6, hold for two, out for 6, two between
When everything seems to be falling apart, and the pressure is getting to you, and you feel overwhelmed, take a moment and breathe. Breath deeply for a count of six. Then pause for a count of two and then exhale for a count of six. Pause for two seconds and do it again. Do this three or four times. Each in-breath will increase the oxygen to your brain and give you a chance to catch your breath.
It is a fact that deep, controlled breathing is a powerful method of improving your mood, thoughts, and attitude in just a short amount of time. Try it right now and see what it does for you. Too often, we are so wrapped up in our thoughts we forget to take the control we have in our breathing and focus our minds on the things we can do right now to become better.
4. Be Your #1 Fan
Too often, people let their negative thoughts about themselves and their abilities rise to the top of their thinking. Rather than allowing your thoughts to go into a negative spiral about life, thinking every aspect of your existence is terrible or boring, you can actively work from your greatness. Instead of doubting yourself or the path life is taking you, have confidence it is taking you in a direction needed for growth. If you make a mistake, you will learn from it and be even more remarkable because of it.
Instead of listing all of your problems and challenges, make a mental list of everything that feels good in your day. There are always things that feel good if you look for them. It could be enjoying the people you work with, being better than you were the day before, doing something new, or just going home at the end of the day. Find the positives and think about them. It will improve your attitude and allow you to accomplish more than you ever believed you could.
The next time you face a difficult challenge in your mind, give these four habits a try, focus on the moment, Imagine how good you will feel, breathe deeply and be your own best cheerleader. It is easy to dismiss these practices as so dull they will never work, but you have to decide if you want to struggle continually in life or take proactive steps to be more confident and find success in all that you do.
“Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do.” ―Sean Covey
“It is “easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.” ―Benjamin Franklin
“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.” ―Ste “hen Covey
“I have learned that champions aren’t born; champions can be made when they embrace and commit to life-changing positive habits.” ―Lewis Howes.
“You leave old habits bd by starting out with the thought; I release the need for this in my life.'” ―Wayne Dyer
Imperfection– a fault, blemish, or undesirable feature.
All of us have to face facts at some point. We are not perfect. Our lives are infected by personal shortcomings and weaknesses of all sorts, which cause us to make imperfect choices all the time. These imperfections may be physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, or fall under any area of our experience and/or lives. Despite these shortcomings, the secret to enjoying life is to explore and embrace each one of them fully. Personal growth can only come from understanding. This understanding results from looking honestly at the things we don’t like, knowing why they happen and taking actions to improve them. Increase your awareness of your perceived imperfections by looking at your thoughts, the resulting emotions, words, and actions you experience noticing your imperfections. You will find these imperfections can be a guide to personal growth and understanding of one’s outlook.
Don’t Hide from Imperfections.
For myself, I see weakness every day. Each day I am confronted with situations that either reveal or highlight some glitches in my personal makeup. There are clear choices.
No need to hide from your weakness. Embrace it.
Available to me when I experience these challenges.
The first one is to try to hide them from the world. You can ignore them and move on with life like nothing ever happened. This can be good for a day or perhaps a week or maybe even a month or a year, but ignoring something doesn’t make it not exist.
These not-so-powerful images of ourselves do not exist to make us feel bad. They are there to provide you with a road map for improvement. Don’t hide from or ignore your personal “weaknesses”; learn to recognize, embrace them and grow from them. We spend so much energy hiding our perceived problems from others, and the real problem becomes the hiding of the problem and worries about it, more than the problem itself. Embrace your uniqueness and understand it makes you who you are. Unique. It is through understanding that things change.
See the Path to Improvement
It can be a painful thing to see your weakness on display. When I see my anger, impatience, and negative attitude crop up, it can be a daunting task to face. Who wants to admit that they are not perfect in everything they do in a day? But it is only by recognizing where we are weak that we can see the path we need to follow to be strong.
So if I am negative about something, there is a reason it is happening, and usually, it is a personal, teachable moment. Yesterday I got angry several times because of the actions of others. Not bad actions, just being human and worrying about their own needs above everyone else’s needs. I am a firm believer that anger is an emotional warning sign that shows our concern that our needs might not be met or that we are in physical danger.
It seems my anger reveals my own concerns about the ending of something and the inevitable moving on. I am ready to move on in most cases, but there are quite a few people and work situations that I have become quite fond of, and both consciously and subconsciously, it hurts to see that coming to an end. But knowing this allows you to say goodbye or maintain relationships comfortably and enjoyably for all people.
I have a fear of these relationships. I am rational enough to know that moving on is the best thing for me and all of the people I care about. In fact, the end has to happen for me to grow, but it still does not come without difficulty. Without realizing this, I may let the opportunity to tell some of these people exactly how much they have meant to me during this experience in my life. I could not have enjoyed it without them, and in fact, they are all part of the combined reason it was such a memorable experience.
Grow From Understanding Yourself
So there is really no other choice in life but to embrace the weakness that shows up in your day-to-day existence. It may be initially difficult or uncomfortable to admit, but once you do, there is a wealth of information that can help to guide you on your path and lead you toward your dreams.
Dissecting your shortcomings allows you to view honestly where your work needs to be spent to live a higher quality of life. This higher quality is going to allow you a better chance to reach your full potential. All people have a tremendous potential to be great, but life’s pain and false beliefs often cover it up. Your weakness can provide you with the key to unlocking this great potential inside you. It simply needs to be dealt with.
It is also a fact that many times it is our imperfections that make us unique and interesting. In some cases, your weakness will push you to overcome it, either to prove your worth to others or yourself, and these motivating factors are a part of understanding why we have weaknesses in the first place.
Change is Constant and Inevitable
Recognizing a weakness is a blessing because it allows you the opportunity to make changes and improve yourself in almost any way. We know this will happen one way or another because no matter what you do, things are going to change. Our imperfections are not a permanent handicap on enjoying and being happy in life, and they are simply a signpost of what needs work in our lives to make our existence a greater experience.
We are all imperfect beings in an imperfect world, trying to enjoy the ride of life. You have the potential to be great, and embracing and working on your weaknesses will allow you to find success a whole lot quicker and to enjoy the experience of life along the way. Often it is our “imperfections” that allow us to become our strongest selves.
It all begins with a greater awareness of the thoughts we have about our imperfections. Please don’t make it an indictment on you personally. Make it an opportunity to learn and become better, and the growth that results will allow a greater level of consciousness today.
Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. Marilyn Monroe
“The fact of storytelling hints at fundamental human unease hints at human imperfection. Where there is perfection, there is no story to tell.”- Ben Okri
“There would be no need for love if perfection were possible. Love arises from our imperfection, from our being different and always in need of the forgiveness, encouragement and that missing half of ourselves that we are searching for, as the Greek myth tells us, to complete ourselves.”-Eugene Kennedy
Every person in the world in the history of humanity has been faced with the fact that life is going to be complex or challenging at times. It doesn’t matter what skills and tools you possess, Einstein intelligence, classic beauty, superior physical strength, or massive understanding, you are going to at some time find that life is kicking you around like a rag doll. So naturally, your confidence will be shaken. However, these times are not meant to break you but to strengthen you. The challenge is the thing that will cement your belief in yourself.
Master the Game
It would be nice if life were easy all the time and we had the whole game mastered. But, instead, it is knowing exactly what to do and when. Should I change careers? Is this relationship right for me? Why do I have so many issues, and How do I deal with them? All of these things are a part of the dance that is life. Life will give you periods where all is calm and nothing but happy times exist, but there are going to be other times that will not be easy. Challenges will most definitely come. And that is OK.
Stretch and Grow
The challenges and the difficulties that we face in life are the things that will force us to stretch and grow in ways that we may never have done before. In fact, without these difficulties in life, we probably wouldn’t have the capabilities and talents that we have. Each hurdle that you have to get over is a teaching tool that has been placed in front of you to allow you to learn, grow and become better than you were before.
When you see a challenge in your life, don’t fear it. Embrace it. The difficulty isn’t going anywhere, and only your attitude and decisions will decide if you learn anything worthwhile or not. It is totally and entirely up to you.
Your confidence will grow as you master the lessons that each challenge brings you. As I see it, the secret is to appreciate, enjoy, and be grateful for the moments that you seem to have everything mastered. Happiness only comes in moments that are happening right now, not in the past or the future. Now. You can be confident in that.
One of the choices we have in life is to grow and become more every day we experience or not. In all situations, we are either getting better, or we are getting worse. Nobody ever stays the same. Some may say, “why worry about growth? Just enjoy what you already have.” That is true to some degree, but nothing is static. All things are constantly changing, and in many instances, we have a handle on moving in which direction you grow. I choose to pursue growth because it allows one to move toward something being a better human. Becoming your best self and provides a purpose for living. Without meaning, life becomes an empty exercise of activities, knowing something is missing. I want to have a purpose in every moment in life and continually seek to contribute to the world.
Don’t Fear Challenges.
I want to see challenges as an opportunity to become better, to learn, and to grow. So I want to embrace them and do my best to overcome them with strength, dignity, and courage. So many people avoid a challenge because it will be difficult or push them outside of their known talents and existence. But that is what life is about. You don’t have to travel far distances to experience new things and to grow. Challenges are the method life provides. So I want to embrace challenges with courage and understanding.
We do not know everything when we are born or at any stage of life. There are always new things to learn, and the challenges life sends your way are designed to allow greatness to come out of you. Overcoming a new challenge is suitable for your self-esteem, confidence, and understanding of life and yourself. Our number one purpose is to become our best selves.
Persistence Is Irreplaceable
Developing a stubborn persistence in the pursuit of things is another reason I prefer growth. When you have a weak mindset, it is straightforward to give up on a goal or a dream if the going gets too complicated. However, when obstacles come, don’t give up. Instead, keep working and develop a plan to get over, under, or around whatever is in your way. This talent is developed through choice, and it is one we will be working on for the entirety of our lives. All the great ones of history had this talent in their toolbox.
Once you decide to avoid difficulty and just quit, you have developed a habit that will stick with you until you learn to accept that not all things in life will come to you quickly. They take ongoing work and focus on overcoming. When this talent is achieved, what can stand beyond your reach? Keep on trying, and eventually, the key will be yours to whatever door you seek to unlock.
Becoming Great
The effort you give to solve problems, overcome obstacles or meet challenges will determine your skill level at that thing. We are faced with different sorts of challenges every day. To do what we must exist in life, but digging deep inside ourselves to find the strength inside us will push us to keep working at the things we want to do. Finding time to do something and to do it consistently will make you proficient at it. Seeking constant improvement is going to allow you to see the best that is going to happen.
The path to mastering anything comes with practice and repeated activity. Keep working, try to become better, and improve. It is the same for learning how to draw or learning to tie your shoe. Practice until you become the best at it. We are all capable of becoming great at almost anything with enough practice and work. One thing for sure without effort, you will not reach your best.
Learning from Criticism
It can be challenging to hear people be critical of you or your work. But there is an opportunity in that criticism to improve and become better. Some people criticize for no good reason, and others provide supportive, constructive criticism, which is meant to help you. Knowing the difference between the two is how you keep your mind calm, stay positive, and stay motivated. Look honestly at the work you have done and the person talking to you. Not everything is going to be great the first time you try it. However, development is essential, and that is growth.
Do not take critical things about things you create personally, the things you do may resonate with some people, but others are not going to appreciate it. Expect it and know that it is not an indictment of you as a person. Still, they didn’t understand your work if the criticism is of a personal nature that is something different—probably caused by jealousy or attempted manipulation. How much faith you give will determine how much you are manipulated. Don’t fear criticism; it isn’t worth it.
Find Inspiration from Others Success
That leads us to the success of others. It can be hard to watch others reap the rewards, doing something you wanted to do yourself. Jealousy will get you nowhere, but accepting and appreciating the talents of others can help you grow. See what they have done and be positively critical to see what you might be able to differently or better. Too many people waste time on envy or jealousy, and those two emotions will take you nowhere. Instead of working on yourself and your talents, you are sulking in the corner, wishing you were someone else.
Learn the lessons that someone else is teaching you through their success and use them as inspiration to move in the right direction.
“The journey is never-ending. There’s always going to be growth, improvement, adversity; you gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown.
In our path of life, we seek ease, A gentle breeze to carry us with grace, But challenges arrive, like storms that seize, And push us into paths we can’t embrace.
