Life is nothing if not unpredictable, and as much as we might try to make it flow smoothly, we are often faced with unexpected challenges that can stall our progress. Railing against the unfairness of challenges is pointless since life is going to do what it does. A more empowering approach is to change the way you view your challenges.
If you typically react to challenges with an attitude of anger, frustration, and powerlessness, it might be helpful to imagine that you are a sailor navigating a large body of water. Sailors hone their skills by constantly assessing the current conditions, anticipating what might be coming up next, making key decisions in the moment, and learning from the results of those decisions. The more they sail, the more they learn, so they keep getting better and better at what they do.
This is really not so different than your journey through life. You probably have a course charted in your mind, and you’re pretty sure you know how to get from here to there. But between here and there, many things can change and threaten to blow you off-course.
Developing a few key skills can help you to better navigate those unforeseen changes:
Awareness
The first crucial skill is awareness. This is the ability to pause and quickly assess the current conditions, calmly and objectively. Take a few deep breaths and let go of any emotional reactions you may be experiencing. Trying to solve a problem while you are besieged by worry or frustration will only cloud your thinking. Instead, engage your critical thinking ability by asking yourself, “What is my ultimate goal? What is the obstacle in my way? Is there an obvious solution for this challenge?”
Creativity
If no obvious solutions are clear, awaken your creative problem-solving skills by thinking outside of the box. Consider how you normally handle obstacles, and whether that approach has proven to be helpful in the past. If not, consider how else you might handle this particular challenge. Imagine your consciousness rising high above your current situation so that you are looking down at it from an elevated vantage point. This will allow you to see things that you might have missed while you were viewing the problem from the perception of being stuck in the middle of it.
Courage
Next, consider whether there are solutions that make you feel a bit nervous or unsure about yourself. Life frequently offers opportunities to step out of your comfort zone and strengthen your belief in yourself. Start building up your courage and confidence by recalling times in the past when you overcame big challenges, and affirm that you can certainly do it again. Keep reminding yourself that all worthwhile achievements require a bit of risk, and that you usually stand to gain much more than you might lose by moving forward.
Anticipation
Finally, as you work through the current challenge and continue forward on the path to your goals, keep a constant connection with your intuition as you anticipate other obstacles that could come up. Create strategies to overcome them so you’ll be better prepared if they do. Of course, you can’t predict every possible challenge. But simply by adopting a strategic mindset and exercising your problem-solving skills on a daily basis, you will be empowering yourself with the knowledge that no obstacles will ever be smarter or stronger than you are.
