Every one of us experiences difficulties in our lives. No one escapes this truth. Oprah publicly deals with her weight issues. Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 28 years. Richard Branson battled with British Airways when he started Virgin Airlines. The woman next door is dealing with her troubled teenager. The man in the Porsche has just declared bankruptcy. The young woman sitting by herself in the restaurant can’t understand why her friends are so mean to her. Every one of us experiences difficulties. Everyone.
Let’s face it who really enjoys the pain and struggle of our difficulties? As much as we may not like them, we do grow through our difficulties. Every challenge and struggle that we experience has the potential to add a piece to puzzle of who we are and our sense of worth. We all have the choice to either work with our stories and challenges towards a greater understanding of ourselves and our lives or to gripe and moan about how difficult life is.
When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.
-Viktor Frankl, Holocaust Survivor
It is my belief that everything that happens to us happens for a reason and that reason is here to serve us. We may not enjoy what we are experiencing but it’s up to us to discover the reason and when we do, we experience clarity and peace of mind about ourselves and our lives. Our stress, illnesses, relationship challenges, financial woes all have something to teach us about our beliefs, ourselves and the world. Underlying every challenge, every hurt, every issue, and every fear is a belief that is demanding to be examined and shifted. Until we alter our beliefs we won’t dissolve our stress. So remember…
Things do not change, we do.
-Henry David Thoreau, essayist, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian
Ultimately it is up to us to decide if we are going to work with our stories and challenges to empower our lives or if we are going to hide from the potential of ourselves. Stressful challenges provide us with an opportunity to add wisdom, understanding and meaning to our lives. Every difficulty is an opportunity for greater self-awareness, self-worth, and personal power. Why live an unhappy, frustrating life when you have the power to choose otherwise? You can’t avoid pain so why not transform it into power, potential and wisdom!
Thanks for listening!
Please remember... Your Worth Matters™!
Jennifer
