Dealing with life’s challenges

times everything seems to be a struggle.
You meet adversity at almost every corner, in your business, as a leader, in your family, in your marriage or relationship, with your children, at school and in many other facets of life.
Many tend to break down and cry while others give up their goals, some abandon a marriage or relationship, some leaders resign, for students grades go down and some go on to commit suicide.
It is important to see your challenges for what they really are. Arrows of time say that everything naturally moves from order to disorder.
That is why even when you clean your house and you do not allow anyone in, it will still get dirty.
Even when one takes a bath and avoid doing strenuous activities that make them sweat, still after a few hours they will still need to bath.
The world is programmed to move towards disorder, everything drifts towards expiry.
Life itself is a fight for preservation. The moment you become a leader, there are forces that seek to make you fail which are greater that the forces that want you to succeed.
It’s the same in a marriage, the temptation to destroy that union is always more than the temptation to preserve it.
This is because of the natural progression of things where everything races towards decomposition.
Life is a struggle with disorder in a bid to maintain order. This, of course, came after man sinned against God.
Sin resulted in everything being subject to death and decomposition. Before sin there was no death, everything God created was immortal.
This consciousness is very important in the fight for an effective life, the awareness that you a fighting a force and not just pursuing your goals.
So when you meet challenges, you now know how natural they are. As a result, you do not blame yourself or others but you seek a solution.
Challenges are not there to break you but to expose how well you can fight nature.
Challenges are not there to humiliate you but are there to give you victory.
What breaks people when confronted by challenges is not their size but their perception of it.
It is human nature to magnify the bad, perhaps to get some mercies or to magnify our conquest.
Whatever the case, a challenge is always before an opportunity. A challenge is a blockage to something good.
When you overcome a challenge, you step onto the next level in your game. When you fold before it, you stagnate or retrogress.
Many people tend to avoid situations where they are likely to face challenges. Unfortunately, challenges do not avoid you, they look you in the face and declare, “If you do not overcome me, you will not achieve your dream”.
You can not succeed by avoiding them, you just have to confront them head-on, ignoring them does not mean they are not there, with the natural negative progression I mentioned earlier it gets uglier and by the time you turn back it’s beyond resolution.
Challenges are the greatest university. They provide you with a reliable source of learning.
You get better through what you experience more that what you hear. When you meet challenges, you are up for a great lesson.
No matter how bad it may be, you emerge a better person and in some instances with bruises and wounds.
Do not cry over a challenge, solve it. Come up with your plan and pray about it.
Prayer is one guaranteed way to overcome challenges of whatever size, though it does not substitute the need for action on your part.
Some of these challenges may come as initial failures as a leader or in life in general.
Do not be disheartened by that. In times of challenge, you need to have great faith in yourself and in God.
You need to lift your spirit high up and be hopeful. You have to think more positively than in normal times.
Your words have to always ooze positive confession. Your words have creative power because they shape your world.
Your attitude has to be positive and aligned to the solution you want to achieve.
You need more zeal in times of challenge than in good times, the zeal to confront your fears and your adversities.
Always be an option thinker, do not allow yourself to run out of ideals and do not magnify what you face.
Each time you magnify your problems, you lose something of value. Esau had to sell this birthright because he wanted something to eat.
Many suicides are committed because one has not shared their problem with someone.
Find someone to talk to when you are facing challenges so that you could be counselled.
After talking to someone, you will realise that your problem might not be as big as it appeared after all.
The Devil uses intimidation to attack. He stretches a small thing in to a big thing just to terrify you.
When you become afraid you cannot pray effectively, your faith sinks to its lowest ebb and you confidence hits rock bottom.
You can even start doubting God. Once this happens, you are Satan’s prisoner.
A challenge is beyond just that, it’s the Devil’s weapon to remove people from the presence of God. Remember Job.
Fear not in times of trouble. Remain calm and think clearly. Seek guidance and work it through, filled with faith, confidence and hope.
Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world, said no problem persists forever; it just has to end at some point.
Whatever you are facing, it’s a temporary experience, just fight to the end. You are an overcomer, more than a conqueror.
Hope you were inspired to be a challenge solver. See you next week as we aspire to be better people and strong leaders who overcome challenges for ourselves and for those we lead.
l Pascal Nyasha is a motivational speaker and leadership coach. He is the author of the inspirational book, “Reaching New Horizons”, and founder of The Leadership Clinic, the training and development organisation focusing on personal and staff development for organisations. For feedback, call: 0773 003 912 or email: [email protected]. Connect with Pascal on Facebook.