5 Ways to Turn Every Challenge Into a Learning Opportunity
Heaven proposes this question:
If you could manifest anything you ever wanted in seconds, wouldn’t life get pretty boring pretty fast?
The only way to learn, grow and evolve is through the process of experimentation, through trial and error, through loss and gain, through the Law of Unpredictability to keep you curious and faithful to positive thinking!
The world is constantly changing and so are we!
The only way to “stay in touch with reality” is to be continuously presented with new learning opportunities: challenges!
In other words, the challenges we face in life are to help us hone our skills and grow beyond the limitations of our current knowledge.
Here are 5 questions to ask yourself next time a challenge feels too difficult to handle it…
1. "HOW CAN I MAKE THIS EASIER?"
The fastest way to shift your energy and your mindset is to laugh in the face of a challenge and use the magic positive affirmation: “This is easy!”
How can you do that?
Simply put, zoom out!
Think about the situation you’re going through right now as a tiny aspect to your whole lifetime. It really doesn’t matter that much!
We worry about the little things so much because we’ve got embedded into our subconscious mind that we need to be perfect “in order to be loved” or accepted or supported.
Mistakes are part of the process. Some might even say mistakes are the best part, because you get to continue to experiment until you find the winning solution!
Remember the saying: It’s the journey that matters, not the destination!
There’s nothing more freeing and empowering than to remember you’re alive and suddenly every challenge is transformed into an opportunity to experience more of life!
2. "WHAT IS THIS TRYING TO TEACH ME?"
Some experiences give us a taste of struggle, others of ease.
Then there are experiences that introduce us to more of the spectrum of emotions: grief, sorrow, anger, jealousy, acceptance, relief, fear.
The purpose of every challenge is to help us change, grow, evolve.
When you understand what your current challenge is trying to teach you, you begin to appreciate it as part of your learning on Earth.
Maybe it’s time to change a pattern in your belief system. Maybe it’s time to learn the value of forgiveness. Maybe it’s time to understand what “lack of judgement” really means and broaden your view of life.
Challenges are offered to us when we’re ready to release more of our potential — the more we resist them, the bigger they will appear to be!
3. "WHY IS THIS SHOWING UP RIGHT NOW?"
Everything is connected and nothing is random, although the Law of Unpredictability is at play at all times to guarantee you receive what you asked for — just not always when you asked for it!
The timing of challenges is not random at all.
Once again, zoom out.
When’s the last time you experienced a similar challenge? How did you handle it then? Was your strategy successful, or do you need to try a new approach?
Perhaps you’ve never experienced a challenge like the one you’re in right now, in which case…
Congratulations! You’ve just unlocked a new level in the Game of Life.
We’re here to learn and develop our skills and knowledge daily. A new type of challenge is your confirmation that you’re advancing beyond what’s known to you AND that means you’re doing life the right way!
4. "WHO CAN HELP ME WITH THIS?"
When we face a challenge, we often ignore the most obvious question: “Do I know someone who has relevant experience that I can turn to for help or advice?”
We’re not going through life alone, even if it seems that way during our most challenging moments.
Yes, some challenges are ours alone to figure out, because they are designed to guide us into channeling more of our potential into creating innovative solutions.
But not all challenges are meant for us to deal with on our own.
Some challenges remind us of the power of community and that other people can offer us unique perspective that might be crucial to understanding the life lesson in front of us.
Have you ever found yourself saying, “Nobody understands what I’m going through”?
Maybe that’s OK. It might even be beneficial to ask for help from someone who’s never experienced a similar situation, because they will give you an educated response that’s based on data they’ve encountered, opposed to how they personally handled it (which is bound to include some emotional attachments and emotions can sometimes cloud one’s judgement).
5. "HOW DID I HANDLE IT LAST TIME?"
It’s worth taking a moment to think about previous encounters with a similar challenge.
Sometimes the Universe will test you by presenting you with a challenge that you DID NOT HANDLE well the last time, just to see if you’ve finally learned your lesson.
Will you allow people to disrespect you just to keep the peace?
Will you settle for less than what you need, because deep down you don’t believe you deserve more?
Will you agree to enter a situation that troubles your peace, because no other offer is available at the moment?
Life’s a school as much as it is a game. The faster you learn the lessons, the more you can get out of every experience!
But if you focus on playing the game too much, you might just find yourself repeating the same life lessons for years and never truly advancing beyond your “current level”.
