10 Proven Methods to Accept Challenges and Succeed

Regardless of how great or terrible your life is right at this moment, you will undoubtedly face large challenges in the future. Challenges are part of life, they seem to have the worst timing, and as my parents always said, build character. But after a while, I want to yell, “I have enough character!” Unfortunately, there is no amount of planning that will help us avoid challenges, nor wisdom, life experiences, or luck. Each of us must face our challenges in life.

Face your challenges head-on

When we were little and scared, we would often hide our faces. We thought if we couldn’t see what was scaring us it would just go away. I had a dog like that. She hated vet visits and promptly decided that if she hid her face, the vet couldn’t see her. You should have seen the look of horror and shock when she felt the shots. As tempting as hiding is, this will only prolong the challenge and increase our stress. We must face our challenges head-on and persevere. Taking a moment to catch your breath, think the situation through, or pause are not hiding. These are skills wisely used to set you up for success in any challenge.

Learn from your challenges

Always celebrate the victory of overcoming a challenge. But before the memory fades, review the challenge. Ask yourself what you learned, what you could have done better, and how you would handle the same challenge now. This skill will create memories of success, which will increase your hope of overcoming your next challenge, and ultimately create a very resilient you. As I tell my daughter, we want to be as resilient as a bouncy ball, nothing will keep us down.

Don’t let your challenges own you

As tempting as it is to allow a challenge to own you, don’t. Set strict boundaries and keep your challenges within them. If a challenge owns you, it will seep into every aspect of your life, never allowing you to rest, get a different perspective, or find hope. If you are facing challenges at work, see home as your respite, a safe place to be loved, rest, and recoup for the next day. Enjoy the moments of happiness at home, allow others to fill you with love and strength for the day ahead. Separating the different parts of your life will allow you to stress less and recharge more.

Regret that you missed the opportunity to learn, not how you handled a challenge

Never regret the decisions you made in a challenge. The you now is not the you who was making the decisions. Instead, regret that you missed the opportunity to learn. Then, work back through the challenge to learn the lessons you missed. The oddest thing happens with challenges, the more we learn and grow from them, the less often they come.

Remember hindsight is 20/20

When we reflect on challenges it is very tempting to say if only I had done this. Do not do that. The you now has the wisdom and insight gained from the challenge. Instead, ask yourself how you could avoid that challenge now.

Be kind to yourself

In the beginning, middle, and end of a challenge be kind to yourself. As much as possible practice self-care. Remember to eat, get enough sleep, and stay hydrated. Beating yourself up will only make the challenge last longer and lessons to be lost.

Take breaks

We are not superheroes. At some point, we will need a break to rest, reflect, and regroup. Learn when enough is enough and take a break. There is no reward for powering through. In fact, such behavior can have long-lasting negative results.

Ask for help

Repeat this statement, asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Not asking for help is a sign of arrogance. The entire lesson of the challenge could be teaching you how to ask for help. In life, we must have a support system we can turn to. This group should offer insight, a different perspective, wisdom, support, and sometimes a necessary push. This group should also have your back and be available to help you through a challenge. We cannot ask just anyone for help, we cannot air our dirty laundry, we must play a great hand of poker. Understand your support system wants to be there for you, allow them to.

Reflect on the moments leading up to the challenge

Once you have made it to the other side, take a few minutes to reflect on the moments leading up to the challenge. Ask yourself if there were any hints or signs leading up to the challenge that could have warned you. This process is best done with a mentor or trusted peer. When we can review our steps leading up to a challenge with honesty, we not only grow but develop tools to avoid the same challenges.

Be bigger than your challenge

Challenges can knock the wind out of you. They can make us feel small, insignificant, and all alone. Even if we truly are all alone, we must be bigger than our challenge. We must remember our challenges will last for a moment, we will last for hours. We have all the courage, strength, tools and resources inside of us that we will ever need. Sometimes the rubble of trauma, losses, and harsh words can bury them. Take the time to dig them up, learn to dig deep within yourself to find the characteristics you didn’t know you had.

Not every challenge will be faced with dignity and grace. Some we will begrudgingly face, some we will try to hide from, and others will make us mad. Our initial emotional reactions are ok, as long as we don’t act on them. Take a minute to gather yourself before you launch on the next challenge. Rest between challenges. Know that regardless of what comes at you, you are enough.

Sincerely,

Sara