As much as you might wish sometimes that you could avoid challenges and obstacles and have your path through life be consistently smooth and easy, it’s helpful to recognize that challenges actually serve a useful purpose, in a few different ways.
The first big benefit of challenges is that they cause you to focus more clearly on what you want, that wonderful end result that you are trying to attain. When you look at a challenge that is standing in your way, whether it’s a difficult situation or a frightening possibility looming over your life, you immediately feel a negative emotional reaction to it.
This provides an opening for you to ask yourself, “What do I really want in this situation?” Asking that question and beginning to focus on your desires with more clarity will start shifting your energy to allow the solutions needed to move past those obstacles.
Challenges also provide a wonderful opportunity to strengthen your self-confidence, resiliency, and belief that you can achieve anything you want in life. When you first begin working toward a goal, you likely have some level of belief already, or you wouldn’t have attempted to achieve the goal in the first place.
However, when you are challenged to dig a little deeper to tap into your inner strength, you develop a greater appreciation for your true capabilities. After you have overcome some difficult challenges, you can look back with a sense of pride and accomplishment, and your belief in yourself grows exponentially.
Challenges and obstacles are also useful in helping you to better hone your skills and become even better at what you do. Whether you’re training for a marathon, starting a new business, or pursuing a degree or certification, you likely would not apply as much effort and attention if the whole process was smooth and easy.
When you have to rely on your wits and determination to get to the finish line, you strengthen your knowledge, develop your skills, and even learn new skills along the way. With continued focus and practice, you get better and better at what you do, which will only serve you in the long run.
The next time you find yourself feeling frustrated about any obstacles that have appeared in your path, try to view the situation as a welcome opportunity to prove to yourself that you have what it takes to overcome the immediate obstacle. You can also use them as stepping stones to develop a better, stronger, and more empowered you.
Say to yourself, “Not only am I going to get past these obstacles and overcome any challenges that come my way, I’m going to channel my inner strength and determination into creating an even better outcome than the one I initially hoped for.”
This kind of mentality immediately puts you back in charge and reminds you that no obstacle or challenge has power over you unless you believe it does. If you refuse to be intimidated and instead start to relish the challenge of climbing over and around the rocks upon your path, you will experience a sense of exhilaration that you never could have achieved by strolling along a perfectly smooth, unexciting path.
