The challenges that we face in our lives are not something that we cannot really avoid as human beings. And i guess the majority of you are human beings who are reading this! Challenges live up to their name by 'challenging' us with what they represent. They come in various shapes, sizes and duration with some lurking in the background and others coming right up to us and slapping us unashamedly in the face.
I've certainly had my fair share of challenges and I also know they're not over yet, so I've made a pact to embrace them. I made this decision quite a long time ago when I had no other option but to make friends with them. They had been there for some time, first whispering, then speaking, until finally they were screaming and shouting at me. I had to surrender and see what they wanted and they did talk to me, or I finally decided to talk to them - you know the way you would talk to someone who’s holding a gun to your head. I just wanted the challenges to go away, but they were here, they were real and like that person holding the gun to my head there was a certain amount of bargaining that came with this situation.
When faced with a challenge now, I still react to them and often do, especially in that instant that they happen. It can be automatic. I don't expect anyone to say 'that's great, our house sale has just fallen through,' or 'great, I've lost my job,' as it's simply not human. What is more realistic is finding a fleeting moment during the challenge to ask yourself 'what is this trying to show me' or 'how can I turn this situation around and find the hidden gem in this.' And often it's not until afterwards that look back and go ‘oh, that’s why such and such happened.’
So perhaps that house that you had your heart set on wasn’t as good as the larger, cheaper home you found closer to work. Perhaps in the meantime you met the person of your dreams or you learnt to have faith in what life brought. Or by losing your job, it gave you the opportunity to find your passion and become closer to your family or friends somehow.
Now you may never think that you will find that proverbial 'needle in the haystack,' but it is there... somewhere. If that needle was a precious jewel would your motivation increase in order to find it? If so then go on and make that needle the brightest, sparkliest shining gem you could possibly imagine. This is yours for the taking if you're prepared to look for it. The hay might still be there in the meantime, but it'll probably not bother you as much now you know what it is concealing.
