Most people either hate or love challenges. Those who hate them see frustrating, maddening obstacles that block us from where we want to be. We may even take them personally, feeling like the Universe must hate us and want to see us struggle. Then there are those who see challenges as opportunities to grow & test our abilities. However we see challenges, it’s all a matter of perspective.✨

A benefit of age for some is that we might reflect on past challenges we’ve disliked as opportunities that actually helped us become stronger.  We’ve likely recognized that past rewards were often coupled with a combo of sacrifice, compromise & effort. Like that old saying: Nothing worthwhile comes easy. In some ways that’s true. If everything we wanted was handed to us, we probably wouldn’t hold much appreciation for it. On the other hand, each year of Life gives us plenty of examples whereby our hard work is a catalyst for results along with a growing sense of pride & accomplishment. The fact is, it feels really good to say, “I did that. It was tough, but I did it anyway.”✨

Challenges are opportunities to grow, learn & strengthen ourselves. They test our faith and reveal how badly (or not) we really want to manifest the dreams in our hearts, and how hard we’re willing to work for them. They are blessings though it may not seem that way at first. But, as is much with life, a tiny shift in attitude, can help us to see that we may have been handed incredible opportunities.✨Next time life sends a challenge, consider the deeper meaning. Are cosmic forces actually saying “No” to you?  Or are they perhaps saying:  “I know you can do it.” ✨

The biggest challenges are usually against perspectives on a situation & attitudes as to how we move forward.  Will we quit or channel our energy into action—regardless of whether that energy is manifesting itself as anger, fear, excitement, joy or anything else.✨With a flip of the mindset switch, we can choose to challenge ourselves each day to find better solutions to the status quo before it becomes more seriously challenging.  Any day we can declare: X has happened. Now what am I going to choose to do about it? ✨

I’m @DianGriesel aka a perception analyst & strategist; creative attitude disrupter & adjuster; author of The Silver Disobedience Playbook & TurboCharged: The Silver Disobedience Edition; and the blogger & model known as @SilverDisobedience  More info on my websites (search my name) and at Wilhelmina Models.