7 Step process to proactively deal with the challenges in your life

Life comes with challenges. How you handle challenges says a lot about how you live your life. Major challenges can be especially intimidating.

Many people feel overwhelmed when faced with adversity. Yet, it can be the best opportunity for growth. You can handle all challenges, big or small, with the same basic strategy.

If you are confident that you can handle any challenge, you will see more opportunities.

Here is a 7 step process to proactively tackle the challenges in your life:

1. Set a goal. Goals are useful in many situations, including overcoming a big obstacle. Set a goal if you want to be successful. Setting a goal accomplishes different things:
   • It focuses your time and attention on a solution.
   • It gives you clarity on how you should spend your time.
   • It gives you the best chance to overcome your challenge.
   • It makes you feel like you have some control over your life.
   • If you have no control over the challenge you’re facing, don’t spend time or energy on it. Instead, work on something that you can control.
2. Avoid wasting time. If you have a big challenge in your life, you can’t afford to waste your time doing unnecessary things. Identify your biggest time wasters and rather spend your time on your solution. You may find that overcoming your obstacle was not as difficult as you thought it would be.
3. Create a plan. You have a goal, and you’re not wasting time. Next step is to create a plan that will help you achieve your goal.
   • Start by determining what is the last step in the plan. What must happen right before you reach your goal?
   • Keep working back until you reach an action you can take today.
   • Then take that action. What could be easier?
4. Get help. The more resources you can use to realize your solution, the better your chance of success. It will also greatly speed up the process. Get any help you can. Now is not the time to be ashamed. You can always repay the favour later.
5. Visualize success. Visualization makes your goal clear. It also gives you a boost of confidence and keeps you focused. See how you successfully overcome this challenge. Visualize several times each day.
6. Preserve. If you have a plan and you’re not wasting time, the only thing you need to do is follow-through. You can do anything, as long as you do not give up. Keep working your plan!
7. Learn the lesson and avoid a similar situation. If the treads come off your tires, you know you need to replace the tires sooner. If your ex-boyfriend stole all your money, you know you need to protect your finances better.
   • Consider how this challenge came about, and how you can prevent it from happening again. It is a shame to go through all this grief and not learn from it. Use your challenges to become more competent in the end.
   • Focus on your solution, before trying to see the lesson.

The bigger your goals and ambitions are, the greater the challenges you will face. It is important to have a strategy for dealing with challenges as they arise.

The worst thing you can do is nothing. If there is a solution, it is important to pursue it actively rather than worry. Your success is largely determined by your ability to overcome obstacles.

If you have a big challenge, do what you can to find a solution. Avoid the tendency to sit around and worry about the situation. Be solution-oriented!

If you need help working out your plan, please contact us and we’ll see how we can help you.