The Greatest Gifts I Have Been Given In My Life Have Been The Greatest Challenges I’ve Faced.
In facing these challenges, and learning how to overcome them, there have been tremendous lessons and growth. These lessons and the growth that came from the challenges, invaluable lessons in perseverance and grit, drive me to seek more growth and to constantly reframe all the challenges that I face on the journey of life as gifts. This process constantly pushes me to be better and to relentlessly seek more growth.
There is no doubt that, since March 2020, we have all faced some very unique and difficult challenges in life. We have all experienced our struggles differently, based on individual circumstances which are usually quite unique. However, it is within these struggles and challenges that we can find some of the greatest gifts in life. Reframing the narrative in this fashion (accepting the challenge as the gift) is the process that has the ability to give birth to truly inspirational stories of success.
Times Of Great Struggle And Challenge Help Us Develop An Innate Sense Of Perseverance.
Perseverance is the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failures or opposition.
Perseverance is a value that can benefit us all. It is something taught to young children in schools. In fact, here’s a story about just that…
I remember, not that long ago, my son coming home from school after having learned how to use the word “perseverance.” We were playing in the driveway with a toy airplane that he had launched from a hand-held device. The plane landed on the roof of the house. I tried to get the plane off the roof. After a mediocre effort to get it down by trying to use a rake to reach it, which didn’t work, I said, “Well, that’s it for the plane today.” My son responded, “Daddy, you can get it down. Come on Daddy, persevere!” Well, that inspired me. And with some planning and strategy and the help of a proper ladder, we had the airplane down and a smile on my son’s face again.
Yes, this plane story is very light. And, I know there are significantly greater challenges in life than a toy plane stuck on a roof. But, the simple reminder of the importance of perseverance, the fact that it is taught to young children in school and the evidence that children are watching us adults and how we choose to respond to challenges… This all tells me that I need to remind myself to persevere. Always.
When We Face The Most Intense And Difficult Struggles In Life, More Than Anything, We Need The Value Of Perseverance To Show Up For Us.
Perseverance cannot be a sometime thing, it must be an all the time thing that we practice and turn into a habit, a character, a value.
There is no doubt that the journey of life will put challenges in front of us all. How we experience these challenges will vary greatly depending on a variety of factors, including:
- Our ability to accept the challenges we face as gifts
- Our desire to lean in, to persevere and to find a way through
When We Overcome Challenges, It Leads To Growth And Results.
And when repeated time and time and time again, overcoming challenges drives massive, positive change.
No, it’s not easy.
Yes, you will need processes and routines along with tools and support groups.
And still, even with all of this, there will be setbacks and failures. That said, when you fail, with the right mindset you fail forward, and this is how you grow.
If the journey wasn’t challenging, and if we didn’t have to persevere, the destination wouldn’t be as rewarding. It is the journey and the process of perseverance that drives growth, results and satisfaction.