“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
~C.S. Lewis
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The path to a better YOU is paved with the challenges you overcome.
From my experience, when faced with challenges or adversity, people typically react in one of two ways. The first, run like hell in the opposite direction and find a quiet place to bury their heads in the sand. The second is to charge straight into battle. It’s the classic fight or flight scenario.
Those people who embrace challenge rather than run from it, whether they know it or not, I believe have found the secret path to building a better self.
Typically, the people we admire most and are the same people who choose to embrace and rise above the challenges they’ve encountered. Some, even passionately embracing the challenges – I find this is a truly admirable quality.
The Oyster and The Pearl
The beneficial growth we experience as a result of the challenges we face in life can be summed up in a simple allegory.
Somewhere in the salty shallows of the ocean, there’s a cluster of oysters clinging to a jagged reef. The ever-moving ocean current stirs up the sandy seafloor carrying sand and other sediments toward the oysters. As the sediment passes, a speck gets lodged inside one of these oysters. The speck is an in irritant, intruder, foreign, unpleasant, and uncomfortable for the oyster – a challenge to overcome. Over time… the oyster makes the most of its trial and produces a beautiful pearl.
Without the uncomfortable intruder the oyster would never have made the pearl!
6 Reasons to Start Embracing Challenges
1.) Identify Strengths
Working through challenging obstacles will push you to discover strengths you never knew you had, and reveal qualities within yourself that would have otherwise laid undiscovered. Identifying them will fill your toolbox with skills to conquer greater challenges in the future.
2.) Develop Resilience
Putting in the time to work through a challenge will cultivate resilience. The conquering of one obstacle builds confidence that you can handle something even tougher in the future. Maybe, even get through it faster. The more you embrace challenges, the higher your threshold will become for what makes you uncomfortable. Over time you will become more adept at bouncing back from difficulties.
3.) Master our Emotions
When pushing through a challenging time, you will experience a wide array of emotions: sadness, frustration, anger, desperation, anguish, relief, contentment, bliss, etc. Feeling, learning, recognizing, and sorting out how to deal with these emotions will lead to a mastery of your emotional self. No longer will you be ruled by your emotions, instead you will be the master of them!
4.) Social Growth
Amid the struggle, you will reach out to others and seek insights and wisdom to help you overcome adversity. The people you discover will become mentors, inspiration, and support. Relationships forged in the kiln of shared struggle are some of the strongest bonds people share. For example, look at the brotherhood the U.S. Marines have. These connections will be there to encourage you along the way and, in the end, be there to celebrate your victory.
5.) Cultivate Leadership
Overcoming adversity makes leaders of us all. Others struggling in the same or similar way will look to you as an encouraging example. Your triumphs become a model for others to follow or, at the very least, be an inspiration. The best leaders are the ones who lead by example and have overcome many challenges to become the person they are.
6.) Builds Character
Above all, prevailing over challenge and adversity builds a strong character! The obstacles we overcome in life and the decisions we make when faced with them shape who we are. The results of these trials provide a bearing toward the person we will become. In the same way, going to the gym exercises our body and builds muscle – taking on challenges strengthens our character and leads us on the path to being greater than our former self.
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
~Lucius Annaeus Seneca
How you Deal with Challenges Will Define You
It’s not the challenges we face that define us, but rather the decisions we make as a result of those challenges that define us!
A challenge is nothing more than an obstacle. In the Spartan Races, contestants face obstacle after obstacle. To finish the race, contestants must figure out a way to negotiate these obstacles. At the end of the race, spectators and contestants alike always end up talking about someone’s creative solution to an obstacle. It’s not the obstacle that sticks in everyone’s memory; it’s how it was overcome! There is something about the human mind that’s inclined to solve problems and always be on the hunt for solutions.
In the same way, the challenges we face in life are seldom remembered. However, the story of how you prevailed and rose up in the face of adversity is something that people will never forget. It becomes a dog-eared page in the book of your character, identity, and personality. When someone thinks about who you are or the type of person you are, they’ll use these moments to paint a picture of the person you are.
Decisions define us, NOT obstacles.
A decision is a result of observation, a situational and personal assessment, a reflection on past experiences, the weighing of alternatives, the forecasting of outcomes, and then… finally – ACTION!
An obstacle than is merely an opportunity – an opportunity to redefine yourself through action.
For the sake of this article, I’ll argue, adversity is something that is far beyond your control. For instance, someone with a speaking impediment has obstacles to overcome where retreat is not an option. Their speech impediment will be there whether they choose to confront it or not. It is either something you’re are born with, born into, or a product of your environment.
In contrast, as I see it, challenges are the obstacles you encounter in life where you have the option to face or turn away from. These obstacles are elective, but are catalysts for personal growth.
Choose Your Challenges Wisely
By now, I think we can agree, choosing to embrace challenges promotes the growth of character and the betterment of one’s self. So, should you leave now with that logic in your pocket and take on the first challenge you encounter? Or course not!
Accepting and embracing a challenge will consume you. You will struggle, maybe fail at first, but eventually succeed after copious amounts of mental, emotional, and physical strain. For that reason, it is so important to only commit yourself to the challenges whose outcome holds high value for yourself.
For instance, in your professional life, you may one day reach a level where you need a particular certification to continue growing in your career. Let’s assume this certification is only obtained after sitting for and passing a grueling eight-hour exam (I’ve been there). Taking on this challenge is a worthy one, and once you have that certification, it will open many doors to grow in your career and be competitive among your peers. This is a wisely chosen challenge to accept.
Another example is deciding to do a triathlon. Doing so is a phenomenal physical achievement. Competing in a triathlon is something that will build confidence in your physical abilities and toughness in your spirit. Taking up a challenge like this, for a first-timer, will require months of training and dedication in preparation for the event. Embracing this challenge will build strength and discipline; you probably never knew you had in you!
Assuming we agree the decisions you make in the face of challenges go on to define you – then it is crucial that those challenges you choose be selected with great care!
Never stop challenging yourself!
Instead of viewing challenge or adversity as a fierce enemy, I encourage you to reframe your view and see challenge more as your greatest ally.
Wherever you may be on the road to conquering adversity or rising above a current challenge in your life, I wish you well. Maintain your self-discipline and have confidence. Although at times it can feel like you are all alone and the sacrifices you’re making aren’t worth it – have faith in yourself. The struggle and discomfort you may feel today will be worth it when you see the pearl created in the end.
“The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he’s dead.”
~Bette Davis
May I ask what is the name of the author of this passage? I need this for an essay..
Hello and thank you for asking! This was written by myself, Sean Hummel. Feel free to drop me an email at thehumbleandfree@gmail.com I’d be interested to learn how you are using the info. All the best!