Archive | Challenge RSS feed for this section

Tough Nut

18 Jul

Sometimes when we have difficult things we have to do or when a situation becomes hard to handle, we often feel we’re having a bad time.  Difficult problems can be hard to solve and we may struggle to find answers but it doesn’t always mean it’s a bad experience.  Hard times don’t always mean bad times.  Untangling complicated developments and figuring out unexpected problems may take us off the path we want to be on but that’s not always a bad thing.  We learn a lot as we tackle new situations and everything we learn can be beneficial to us in some way.  If we look at these situations more positively we may find our way through them more easily.  We are capable of managing any problem or complication that comes to us.  We know in the beginning we’ll eventually solve the issue no matter how hard it is, and in the end we will be successful.  If we focus on that instead of the annoyance of going through the issue we will benefit more from the experience and feel better as we push through.

Some problems are very complicated and take time to find answers to.  In many cases, it doesn’t matter how long it takes us to solve them and we can take all the time we need.  We can ponder them, think about the outcomes we want and work them step by step.  At each point as we try to crack the nut, we learn something valuable.  Everything we learn we take with us going forward.  If we have a complex issue that requires going through a lot of steps to find the answers, we grow with each step we take.  Once the problem is solved, all the knowledge we’ve gained getting through it will be valuable and will help us in the future.  Tough nuts may be hard to crack but with determination and faith we will always break through.

It’s a common expression to see difficulty unfavorably and we all want to avoid trouble.  But hard or difficult situations aren’t necessarily bad.  When things are running smoothly our lives seem less worrisome and easier to manage.  But nothing runs smoothly all the time.  There will be regular snags, bumps, detours, problems, and complications.  It’s the nature of life.  Learning to see these experiences merely as enhancements that teach us and not roadblocks that stop us in our tracks will help us gain more as we navigate through them.  There is no problem too difficult for us to solve and no situation too complicated for us to figure out.  We can remember that and see our difficulties for what they are – complications in the process.   If we do, we’ll be more confident moving forward.

Today if you are facing something difficult and you feel it’s a bad situation that’s greater than you can handle, take a more objective look at it.  It’s just a complication along the way.  You will solve it and you will find your way through.  You have everything you need to succeed and you’ll learn more as you go.  You’ll solve the problem no matter what it is.  Be confident.  There isn’t anything you can’t do.

Tags: , ,

Tide Coming In

8 Jul

If we walk along the shoreline and watch the tide come in, we might see all kinds of things roll in with it.  There may be beautiful and interesting shells, perhaps a starfish, sea glass, maybe some sharks’ teeth or an ancient glass buoy.  The oceans travel the earth’s surface and as they pass along pick up treasures and carry them to far away shores.  Every time we walk along the sand is an adventure.  We never know what we’ll find or what will come in with each wave.  Our lives are like that.  Each day brings with it limitless possibilities.  We don’t know what will happen, who we’ll see, or what we’ll learn.  We might meet a new friend or go someplace we’ve never been, or we might see something we’ve only dreamed about.  There is no end to what could happen but if we’re present and aware we’ll get the most from the experience.  Everything we go through, and everything that comes to us brings something new we can learn, and we can take all those lessons forward. They will enrich our lives and give us depth.  Sometimes we have no idea where life will take us, but wherever we go, it’s worth the trip.

There is something magical about discovering something new.  Even if we explore every single day of our lives we will never uncover all the amazing things we could see and do.  But trying new things can take courage and we have to be willing to stretch in new ways. We may be unsure because we’ve never done it before and we might be unsteady as we take the first few steps but the adventure comes from taking the chance.  We never know what we can do until we push ourselves and find out.  And the greatest experiences we have often come when we really put ourselves to the test.  When we abandon everything we thought we knew and try something completely different we often discover we are more capable than we ever dreamed, and more courageous than we imagined.

Our days may be filled with routine and expectations.  We may have our hours planned and expect them to follow along as designed.  But there will always be surprises and unexpected events that change things.  It’s up to us to make the most of those opportunities.  If someone new enters the picture, we have the chance to expand our circle and welcome them in.  If an unexpected glitch happens in our plans, we have the opportunity to re-create them and adjust to a new situation.  If a door we thought was open is suddenly locked, we can figure out our way around it.  There are countless things we can learn as we go forward.  When the tide brings in beautiful shells we can bend and pick them up.  If it brings in a tangle of seaweed, we can walk around it.  We can do the same in our personal lives.  Whatever rolls in teaches us something we can take away with us.  If we make the most of each situation, we’ll enrich our lives with countless new experiences and learn more about ourselves and those around us.

Today if something has changed you didn’t expect, or if there is a new situation you must navigate, make the most of it.  Learn all you can and take something of value away.  You are smarter than you think you are and certainly capable of handling anything that comes your way.  If the tide is rolling your way today, step into it.  You have everything you need to do anything you want.

Tags: , ,

Grape Juice

1 Jul

Grape juice is delicious.  It’s sweet and tasty and very refreshing.  But if we spill it on our white cotton shirt, it’s quickly changes from being a treat to being a curse.  Grape juice is nice to drink but spilled on white cotton can create an indelible stain that is nearly impossible to remove.  It leaves evidence, sometimes forever, that it was there.  We may scrub and try all kinds of applications and still the stain may remain.  In our lives when we make a mistake that hurts us or others deeply we may feel like we’ve created a permanent stain.  There is no way to change what has happened, and we might believe there is no way to recover from the decision.  Thankfully, even if the mistake is damaging and difficult, it’s not like grape juice.  It’s not forever.  There isn’t anything we can’t recover from.  We all make mistakes and if we’ve really blundered and seriously caused pain to ourselves or others it may be difficult to repair the damage.  But we can face difficult challenges and find our way through them.  If we seriously want to make things right again and do what is needed to correct the problem, we can navigate it effectively and move forward.  What we learn from the experience will be valuable, and even if there is some residual stain that stays with us, it will never be so intense that we can’t find a way around it.

We make dozens of decisions every day.  Our lives change continually based on those decisions and the decisions of others.  Sometimes things go well, we can clearly see the path forward, and know what to do.  Other times our vision may be clouded with indecision, confusion or complications out of our control.  Even if we try to make the best decisions possible, sometimes we won’t have all the information, or what we have is incorrect.  As we go forward we may stumble and take a wrong turn and get hurt, and we may fall on others and hurt them as well.  Nobody wants to make bad choices on purpose.  We try to do our best but it’s possible to get lost.  Getting lost doesn’t mean we’re lost forever.  It just means we took a wrong turn.  We are perfectly capable of assessing the situation, looking at our options, and choosing the road that will correct our course and get us back on track to where we want to go.  We can keep moving forward even after a serious detour.  We have everything we need to find our way again, and we can get to the destination successfully.

If we make a bad choice that is so egregious we break a connection to someone else, we may have to go forward without them for a while.  If no matter what we’ve tried to repair the relationship they don’t want any association with us, we may accept that for now and still move forward.  We can’t control decisions made by anyone but ourselves.  We can give them time and distance if they need it and do whatever we can to make things right.  Everyone makes mistakes and although some may take time to recover from, we are capable of correcting our course at any time.

Today if you’re recovering from a mistake in judgment, and you feel like you’re stained forever, remember this is not permanent. You can correct your course and make things right again.  Keep moving forward.  You have everything you need to succeed.

Tags: , ,

Big Shoulders

22 Jun

As we go through our lives trouble comes to all of us.  We have the regular aggravations that crop up and there are always some sort of complications as we try to do things.  Sometimes we encounter serious problems that are difficult to navigate and if we have more than one to deal with at once, we can feel beset.  They say that in every life a little rain must fall, but if we’re in a deluge of trouble and struggling to get through, it can be very uncomfortable to navigate.  There is a limitless variety of problems we may encounter.  If we have all the skills we need to solve them we get through them more easily than when we are caught unaware and unprepared.  We can’t read the future and can’t be prepared for everything that comes to us but we can be confident that no matter what it is, no matter how hard it is to overcome, or how complicated it becomes we can find a way through.  Nothing will come to us that we can’t figure out.  It might take some time, and we may feel daunted and confused for a while but we will find our way.  If we are confident and calm there isn’t anything we can’t face.

Sometimes we can sense when problems are going to happen.  Perhaps we notice changes that point to complications coming our way.  Maybe we can try to head them off at the pass and solve the situation before it gets too big.  But sometimes we can’t do anything to stop the issue and have to navigate it when it arrives.  There will almost certainly be other people involved when we face difficult issues and although we may have our ideas about how to go about resolving them, their influence and impact may be significant.  If we can’t agree on how to correct the situation it will take longer to let it go.  But we can be patient and clearly give our opinions and advice.  We may have to compromise our plans but when we find a workable answer everyone can agree on we can move forward.

When we have very difficult personal problems it can be hard to navigate the other arenas of our lives.  If what we’re going through is so painful that we can’t concentrate, finding the solution won’t wait.  Our lives are important and our happiness depends our ability to navigate and resolve whatever is holding us back.  Sometimes we may need to reach out for professional help and we can do that.  Or we might want the advice and counsel of a trusted friend.  We don’t have to face anything alone and if we want help, we can find it.  No matter what comes, there isn’t anything we can’t do and nothing we can’t manage.  We are capable of facing even the most difficult of trials, and our shoulders are big enough to carry them.

Today if you’re going through a difficult situation and feel beset by the problem, remember there isn’t anything you can’t do.  You can get help if you need it.  You will find the answers you’re seeking and you will resolve the issue.  You are stronger than you know.  Be confident.  Be brave.  You will prevail.

Tags: , ,

On the Level

14 Jun

As we go through our lives we experience a lot of ups and downs, successes and disappointments, and give and take. We never know what each day will bring and sometimes things go well, and sometimes they don’t. As we navigate all the changes and challenges we adjust and accommodate whatever is happening to keep ourselves on an even keel as much as possible. We can usually cope with whatever comes and mostly take it all in stride. We know the importance of perspective and as we face each situation try to keep things as level as we can so we can move forward with confidence. But if something extreme happens, something unpredictable and devastating, we might find our balance upset and everything leaning to one side. Our perspective is slanted and we struggle to stand up straight. Although we all go through hard times there isn’t anything we can’t manage. We can figure out how to right ourselves and find our way but it may take time as we process everything that’s happening. When our world has been shaken and we feel unstable, and when the road we’re on feels rocky and unsure it’s sometimes hard to look ahead. But we have all the courage we need and all the inspiration required to make things right again. It’s all inside us. We need only take some time to find our way and we’ll be able to correct the balance again.

Sometimes we all wish we could see the future. It seems if we could know what’s coming before it arrives we could better prepare for it. That might be true, but knowing what lies ahead could work against us as well. If we are overwhelmed at what we’re going to face we may try to hide instead of face it head on. We really don’t know how we’ll respond to anything until we experience it. We are where we are right now, and we’ll respond to whatever comes to us when it arrives. We can draw on all the experiences we’ve navigated already and find our way through whatever happens. There is nothing we can’t face and nothing we can’t conquer.

There are certain things we all think we could never survive. The loss of a loved one, the betrayal of a close friend, or maybe a serious financial setback. We may think there are things that will break us and from which we could not recover. But that is never true. Nobody wants to go through devastating losses or face extreme disappointments but even if we’ve been knocked completely down, we can get back up again. There isn’t any problem without a solution. There is no storm that doesn’t end. Even if we’ve completely lost our balance and our world has been shattered, tomorrow will come. And we will find a way through. We have more courage and strength than we know. We have everything we need to conquer anything we face. We can reset our level, we can rebalance the scales, and we can move forward. There is nothing that will stop us from succeeding.

Today if you feel overwhelmed and devastated by something that’s happened, remember how strong you are. You have overcome so many things already. This is just one more challenge and you have everything you need to conquer it. You are strong and capable and you can overcome any problem. Look ahead. This is just a storm and it will pass. Move forward with confidence. You have everything you need to succeed.

Tags: , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →