The consistent motivation required for overcoming challenges can be easily lost. It’s not hard to put up a strong front against the hardest of challenges of life.
If you feel like giving up, you’ve come to the right place. The 7 tips you’ll find today will give you the right boost of energy to continue your drive against your daily struggle!
1. Shift Your Perspective
Every challenging situation, right off the bat, affects your perspective first.
Let’s say, this morning, you woke up to an email from your boss that said that you have to work through the weekend too. You had planned to meet your friends after months this weekend. Of course, you’ll instantly start to feel extremely mad and sad.
Next, you open the fridge to make some eggs in breakfast, but the eggs have gone bad. You’re also out of cereal. Later on in the day, you have to go out for grocery shopping, but your favorite, most comfortable jeans are dirty. Although this inconvenience is minor, it could possibly be the last straw that will make you want to start screaming at this point.
Apparently, your entire day has gone in the wrong direction. But the real issue is that not that minor challenges got to you back to back. Instead, it’s your perspective.
From the moment you read the email, you put on a negative paradigm. Since then, everything was perceived as a bigger problem than it actually is. You already knew that you were out of cereal. You also probably knew that the eggs would go bad by this day. Despite that, your negative mindset made your overreact.
So, make it a habit to never let negativity take over. Yes, you shouldn’t be positive forcefully. However, focus only your negative energy on the real challenge. Ignore the minor inconveniences like you would on a good day.
If you let your energy go to waste on such small matters, you’ll be drained of energy before you even begin to fight against the real challenge.
2. Learn From Someone Who Has Been Through It
If it gives you comfort, then you should know that you’re not the only one going through this issue. Someone out there is going through exactly similar circumstances and possibly even worse.
Similarly, there’s someone out there who has been through the same challenge but was able to get out of it unharmed.
There are millions of people in similar circumstances. You may know at least one such individual who has gone through a similar issue. It could be a celebrity, someone from your neighborhood, a member from your extended family, or anyone from anywhere.
This person’s experience is a source of motivation as well as a guide to get through your challenge. Overcoming challenges can be as easy as observing the people around you.
If you can’t think of anyone who has tackled the problem already, it’s alright. You’ll know of someone who, if ever faced with a similar situation, could walk through it without an issue. Maybe that’s because this person has enough money to buy their solution, or they have the physical and mental ability to find a way out.
Whatever the case, try to follow the same footsteps. Come up with alternatives to suit your circumstances. As long as you have an example to see, you’ll have the strong will to continue in the same direction. A real-life example is the best motivation to continue the fight against your life’s hurdles.
3. Don’t Shy Away From Help for Overcoming Challenges
You came into this world alone and you’ll leave alone. Yet, every human depends on the other for their survival between these two points of existence. Even the strongest economies in the world are interdependent. So, it’s only okay to expect an emotionally or physically strained person like you to seek help as well.
The reason why you should ask for help is not that you aren’t capable of pulling yourself out of the tough situation. But since you’re the one suffering through it, you’re already drained. Moreover, your perspective is way different than that of a third person.
Having someone to support you through your tough time is great. The best scenario is if they have the expertise to get you over the hurdle. Even if that’s not the case, the emotional support is more than enough to keep you going in tough times.
4. Figure Out a Solution
Nothing (yes, nothing) in life is unsolvable (except for some mathematics problems). But as far as the everyday life issues are concerned, there’s always a solution.
No matter how big of a mountain you think has come in front of you, it won’t kill you. You can reach its top only if you’re determined to.
If you’re thinking of ways of overcoming challenges, you’re already on the right track. Only with a mind that wants to overcome an issue can you actually do it. So, start thinking of all possible and impossible solutions to your problem.
For example, if you’re currently going through a financial problem, some solutions include shifting to a better-paid job, working more than one job, taking a loan, winning a lottery, robbing a bank, and the list goes on. Simply knowing that there are so many solutions to your problem, half your worries will eradicate.
The next step is, of course, to work on this solution. Once you’re figured out the most feasible route for yourself, you need to start taking baby steps towards it.
Let’s say you decided to shift your job. So, you’ll start by looking out for career choices that pay well and are also relevant to your skills and experience. Next, you’ll apply to places that have open vacancies, and so on.
With a focused goal, you’ll not lose your sense of direction amid all the hindrances.
5. Compartmentalize
Do you know what pulls people down during a tough time? It’s not that one challenge but the fact that this one challenge takes over all other parts of their life too.
An issue in your career reflects on your behavior with your partner, keeps you from hanging out with your friends, strains your motivation to stay fit, and basically harms every other aspect. All of this is because that one challenge is all that’s on your mind. You just cannot distract your brain to think of other things.
This behavior is harmful not just for yourself but also for those around you. Keep the challenges of your life restricted. If they take over, you won’t be able to overcome them. To solve one problem, you need to continue to live normally in other parts so that you don’t lose your strength.
Learn to compartmentalize so that your brain is trained to keep the good things away from the negative.((Guideposts: 3 Healthy Ways to Compartmentalize Emotions)) With an organized mind, you can conquer any challenge that comes to you.
6. Focus on the Bigger Picture
One closed door opens another. That’s an extremely true saying. One hurdle may seem like a full stop, but it may be exactly what you need to reach a final goal.
Imagine the prettiest landscape; a land full of peace, serenity, natural beauty, starry sky, and everything nice that you can think of. If you know that the final destination is worth it, you won’t mind the narrow path that you’ll have to walk on to get to it.
Similarly, if you can shift your focus to the bigger picture, the minor challenges won’t seem to be an issue. Instead, you’ll make the most of them by learning from every challenging second. Going through a hard time can bring you many benefits if you have the right point of view.((UW Health: The Surprising Benefit of Going Through Difficult Times))
7. Help Others
In the end, despite your challenges, be ready to offer help to others.
You will be contributing to the cycle of help while also learning a great deal from their way of tackling a life issue. Moreover, offering a helping hand ensures you’ve got someone you can rely on during your tough times too.
The Takeaway
Overcoming challenges in life is not hard. Instead, it is a balanced way to tackle the problem without letting it affect healthy parts of your life. It not only requires physical efforts but also mental strength.
The 7 tips you learned today are a good balance between both. They keep you mentally strong so that you can put it your maximum physically. Altogether, you can put up a strong fight against the hardest challenges. No obstacle can stop you from living your life to the fullest.
All you’ve got to do now is to stay determined and push yourself by implementing these tips in your life. Then, notice yourself looking forward to new challenges instead of dreading them!
More Tips for Overcoming Challenges in Your Life
- 7 Things to Remember When Going Through Tough Times in Life
- 5 Ways to Overcome Success Barriers
- 50+ Best Motivational Quotes To Overcome Life’s Challenges