Overcoming Life Challenges
There’s one thing you can all be sure of about life, it’s that we have each experienced one or more major life challenges and lived to tell others about it. In this blog article, Made You Smile Back will discuss the different types of challenges that most people face over a course of a lifetime.
We shall explore how challenges can actually be a ‘silver lining’ in achieving your goals. We shall look at strategies on discovering how we can learn to ‘respond’ instead of ‘react’ in our ability to handle stress and remain calm.
Everyone faces his or her own set of challenges in life. If you learn how to cope with challenges and stress, you’ll be able to deal with whatever life throws your way.
Facing Life Challenges & Difficulties
We all know that challenges in life are a definite given. But they can ultimately be used to your advantage. Each struggle can be an opportunity for self-improvement and personal growth.
Yes, indeed, life struggles can make you stronger and perhaps even wiser! Facing and overcoming life struggles can teach us valuable life lessons as we travel down the ‘road of life’ and become the best version of ourselves.
How do you face and overcome a life challenge?
In navigating thru life’s challenges, here are some important things to keep in mind:
- Start with a single step.
- Take care of yourself.
- Recognize that you can choose how you act.
- Calm yourself.
- Let go of your anger.
- Instead of focusing on loss, consider what you may gain.
- Draw strength from others.
Handling Challenges in Life Head-on
First and foremost you must relax. Try to see the problem from all sides. Take time out to describe the problem in as many details as possible.
Possible solutions will be needed to be brainstormed. Upon completion, make a list of the pros and cons of the solutions you think are best. Choose one solution to try first.
Overcome Life Obstacles with Resilience
Have you ever noticed that some people just seem to be born with the ability to overcome setbacks with relative ease? It’s a trait that experts call resilience.
According to Psychologist Robert Brooks, Ph.D. , people with resilience have a greater sense of control over their lives. That makes them more willing to take risks.
“Also, because of their optimistic outlook, they are more likely to develop and maintain positive relationships with others,” as well as live more meaningful lives, Brooks says. For more enlightening information, please check out his book he co-wrote The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confidence, and Personal Strength in Your Life.
So, how do you make yourself more resilient? Here are 9 things to focus on:
- Stay Flexible.
- Learn Lessons.
- Take Action.
- Stay Connected.
- Release Tension.
- Have a Sense of Purpose.
- Be Optimistic.
- Believe in Yourself.
- Keep Laughing.
A positive, hopeful outlook will make you much more resilient. Remember that many of the problems you’ll face in life are temporary and remind yourself of the times you have overcome setbacks in the past.
Nobody Said It Was Going To Be Easy
Yes, overcoming some life difficulties are not easy. You must learn to ‘lean into the fear’ and find the courage and fortitude to act in direct opposition to the forces oppressing you. To do this, you have to change your perspective on adversity.
How does one overcome these often unexpected personal life challenges? Here are some strategic ways to help you when facing challenges in life:
- Make A Plan. While you don’t know what is going to happen in the future, you can always plan ahead.
- Know You’re Not Alone. Every person in this world has their low points.
- Ask For Help.
- Feel Your Feelings.
- Accept Support.
- Help Others.
- Think Big.
- Positive Mindset.
How to Have a Successful Breakthrough
Everyone has to face their own individual set of challenges. Learning how to overcome challenges and end up with a successful breakthrough will help you stay centered and remain calm under pressure.
Persistence is a huge key to overcoming challenges. Giving up means that you will neither overcome the challenge nor learn from it. When you power through your challenges you can end up with a successful and powerful breakthrough.
To do so, don’t hesitate in asking for support, feeling your feelings, and making a plan to work through it.
Work Smart, Not Hard
Work smart, not hard. There is always more than one way to get something done. However, there’s always just one optimal way or best way of doing it.
One method of learning to work smarter rather than harder, is by starting by working backward or in other words, reverse-engineer your way to reach the end goal faster and more effectively.
Positive Mindset
Positive thinking is vital. You are the master of your own reality. You are what you are. You have to start seeing yourself in the exact same way others see you.
If you train your mind to think positively, you can become mentally strong. This will take both time and practice. You can develop concentration and focus by practicing mindfulness techniques and meditation.
Let go of negative thoughts that have a way of staying or lingering in your head. They can stop you from thinking positive thoughts. If you let those negative thoughts pass by, you’ll be able to think more positive thoughts, which will help you lead a happier, healthier life.
Keep Moving Forward
When overcoming a life obstacle, you must keep moving forward. Taking action is one of the biggest steps in overcoming challenges.
Try to recognize and define what you fear in the situation. Then, you can act to mitigate that fear.
Keep the momentum going by practicing gratitude. When something new happens or is presented, we may feel like it’s hard to deal with. By practicing gratitude, you can reframe your definition of a challenge.
You will then become happier overall in your present moment.
Quotes About Overcoming Life Challenges
Made You Smile Back presents these 10 inspirational and thought-provoking quotes when facing and learning to overcome life challenges.
Quotes can teach us and help us to get through the tough times, no matter how challenging they may be.
“A life without challenge, a life without hardship, a life without purpose, seems pale and pointless. With challenges come perseverance and gumption. With hardship come resilience and resolve.”
-Terry Fallus
“The key to life is accepting challenges.”
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.”
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
“Standing in the storm is a good thing. It means that you’re ready to adjust your sails when the wind is against you, and you can handle it.”
“The greatest glory in living lies in falling over and getting up again. The important thing is to keep on going.”
Elizabeth Edwards
“Resilience is knowing that you are the only one that has the power and the responsibility to pick yourself up. It’s never about being strong enough to walk away or strong enough to walk back through the door. You are the only one that can decide how you want to respond.”
Nelson Mendala
“Perhaps what really matters when it’s all said and done is who lifts us up and inspires us and teaches us to be better.”
Jodi Picoult
“Adversity has the remarkable ability to make you face your greatest weaknesses, and it’s the only thing that can make you strong.”
Final Thoughts About Life Challenges
The bottom line is simply this… With time, persistence, and a positive attitude, you can learn how to deal and face life challenges and difficulties.
Make no mistake, there are no easy times in life, and the hard times will happen. No matter how bad things may get for you, it is never too late or too early to take charge of your life.
With the right mindset and persistent practice, you will be able to overcome life obstacles and difficulties every time and grow in the process!
Remember, nothing worthwhile in life is easy. Life challenges make us stronger!
1. Do you think life doesn’t get easier and you are simply getting stronger?
When humans are exposed to certain difficult hurdles and go through stages of life, we learn and laugh and get over it. The stronger you get, you are supposed to encounter the same level of challenges.
Every other day is a new challenge in our lives, you can be taking shots at the patron, be doing your best every passing moment but the next thing coming your way is always going to be much harder than the one gone by.
2. Why does life throw challenges?
Life is full of surprises, you might have everything under control today but the next, you would be struggling with another. To make yourself better than today, you will encounter challenges. Life has it all planned out for you.
If you believe in the fact that everything has been sorted out for you, and already planned that you should know that whatever puddle you have stumbled over and whichever hurdle has been hurled your way is the part of the process to make you the better version of yourself.
3. How to overcome life challenges?
You get used to dealing with challenges thus eventually you overcome the challenges. Be patient, and don’t let them take a toll on your mental health.
There are many ways to overcome life challenges such as:
– Express more
– Feel your feelings
– Look for a distraction for the betterment
– Think big
– Keep a positive mindset
– Ask for help
– Accept support
– Be more acceptable
– Set goals for the future, whether short, mid or long term
4. How significant is winning life challenges?
Life however is not a competition that you are supposed to win in every aspect, you could be losing somewhere but you gain a lot too.
While dealing with life challenges you are earning the most of what you could have imagined. Life can be pretty predictable like you are aware that there’s no way you can ace that exam for which you haven’t prepared. It’s easy. You get what you sow. It’s your mindset that allows you to function particularly and distinguish whether what you have been served is an opportunity or another hurdle on your way to the path of success.
When you know you will and you can, that is when you start winning against all your life challenges and that is how you improve.
5. What are the benefits of life challenges?
You might not know but there are some very beneficial advantages of life challenges.
– Every challenge that you deal with, reminds you of your abilities and capabilities. It’s a reminder of how strong you are
– Life challenges can bring clarity to your life. You get a broader perspective
– Life challenges make you more of a human, you learn to be more kind, more compassionate, and more of everything good a person can be
– You become more aware and grow as an individual making you more creative
I really needed this right about now. Thank you!
Life definitely is a challenge at times! Learning to deal with those challenges and channel them toward a better future is the key. Great post!
Kathy, yes life is definitely a challenge at times. I’m thrilled you liked my post. Thank you.
I am so glad I found your post on B&I. What an awesome and well-laid-out post and extremely helpful. You have touched on a lot of pain points and referred and linked to other awesome topics. I have RT and again thanks for sharing.
Esme, I thank you for your encouraging words. I’m so glad you like my blog and hope you will continue to come back and engage more. Many Blessings.
A very positive read. Good luck with your blogging.
Ellen, I appreciate your kind words and yes, I will continue blogging to provide thought-provoking content to my readers.
Yes! Such a good read
Thank you Catherine for your positive comment!