TAKING ON A CHALLENGE new doors of possibility and can help us see things from a fresh and hopeful perspective .
Taking on your challenges enables you to do something that you may find uncomfortable or difficult ; you may learn a new skill , adapt to a new way of working and become mentally ( and possibly even physically ) stronger . Facing challenges reminds us that we are human . We can ’ t know everything , we can ’ t do everything but what we can do is be prepared , be ready and be open to taking on the challenges that are presented to us .
When you are faced with your challenge take a moment to look at it and understand why it presented itself to you . There may be no reason but it may also be a consequence of an earlier action . Take the time to
What is Resilience ?
Resilience is usually defined as the capability to recover from difficult life events . Resilience is not a rollercoaster , where you ’ re up and down frequently , it ’ s more like climbing a mountain . It takes time , strength , can be difficult alone and you ’ ll more likely experience problems along the way- but eventually you reach the top and look to see how much you have achieved .
When you are faced with your challenge take a moment to look at it and understand why it presented itself to you .
understand what is happening before you decide on what your first steps are going to be .
You will need to accept that you may not get it right the first time , or even on the the second , third or fourth times ! The solution to your challenge may not be immediately obvious and it may require many trials and errors . You will find this much easier to manage if you give yourself permission to fail . If you accept from an early stage that you may get it wrong but understand that it doesn ’ t mean you need to stop you will find yourself taking more risks and being more creative in order to overcome your challenge . Remember every attempt you have made to overcome your challenge is another learning experience , the next time you face a similar challenge you will have these past experiences and knowledge to call upon . Eventually you will come out of the challenge on the other side and you will be a more resilient person . You have learnt something new , you have proved yourself and you deserve to be proud of your achievement . Embrace the rush of dopamine to your brain and use this as an opportunity
to reflect on what you have been through . If you were to face the challenge again would you act in the same way ? Would you do anything differently ? How has this challenge changed you ? And most importantly acknowledge what it is that you have learnt from this experience !
Three important steps when taking on a challenge :
Breathe : Learning to take a deep breath when the challenge presents itself to you is important . Take some time , look at the challenge and give yourself the opportunity to think about what is happening and how you may deal with it .
Act : This is the time to make a proactive choice on what you are going to do , take it step by step and don ’ t expect to get it right every time .
Reflect : How did you handle the challenge ? Would you act differently if you faced the same challenge again ? Recognise what have you learnt from the experience .
About the author Rachel Beauchamp Rachel works in Business Development at Lancaster University and is the creator of ‘ The Positive Careers Guide ’, an online platform to support people in realising their employability potential . @ positive _ career [ IG / Twitter ]