We all have areas in our lives where we struggle, and it often feels as if we can only get rid of certain emotions, people, problems, feelings, or anything else that gets in the way.  A common example of this is getting rid of challenges. We all have challenges that if we get rid of we will feel unstoppable. 

One of the keys to an amazing mindset is how you deal with challenges. I teach that challenges are meant to be engaged with in a positive way. Challenges or obstacles can lead to some great triumphs.

My disability forced me to start thinking about success and mindset. Because of my disability I took an opportunity to learn what it takes to become successful and what mindset really is.  I did not ignore my limitations or try to cancel all negative emotions. The goal is to limit and channel negativity.

We can’t ignore or cancel whatever we don’t like, or whatever gets in the way of amazing success. Instead, we have to understand how it effects our life and how we can work around them. The goal is to limit the impact in our lives.

When it comes to health we see cholesterol, fat, carbs, and other factors as the enemy.  However, we need some healthy doses of each of those in order to survive.

Negative Emotions

If you never had any negative emotions then you are not human. We are built to be negative. We should not avoid negative emotions. We should let fear, anxiety, and other negative emotions motivate us. The goal is not to walk around anxious and concerned all the time. The goal is to counterbalance negative emotions with positivity and gratitude. In reality, we need a healthy combination of both.

Challenges

A big part of life and mindset is learning how to deal with challenges. Every goal and every endeavor has its own set of unique challenges. A common mistake that people make is that they want to avoid challenges. They want to lead a drama-free and problem-free life. When that doesn’t work, they turn into victims. The reality is that challenges don’t stop you. Not dealing with challenges stops you. There’s no doubt that challenges slow you down, make everything a little more difficult, and are frustrating to deal with. However, challenges build character and the same exact lessons that you learn from dealing with challenges can be applied to achieving success. If you don’t deal with challenges then they linger.

Being Uncomfortable

Let’s face it, there are uncomfortable moments associated with going after your goals. As soon as you start going after your goals, you must get out of your comfort zone and experience some level of discomfort. It’s like being sore the day after you work out. The goal is to keep growing yourself and that comes with discomfort. It is troubling that we are teaching our youth that they get participation trophies and there are no winners or losers. This fosters a sense of entitlement. We want our kids to be comfortable and happy. Instead we are backloading disappointment. Instead of giving our kids disappointment in a structured way with little consequence, we are setting them up for more devastating consequences.

Toxic People

We are in an ecosystem filled with others. Like you, they have gaps in their mindset, fears, bad days, concerns they are not aware of, dreams, obligations, weight of the world, and any other challenges.  It is not wise to cancel everybody who does not agree with you. After all, we have to deal with others and we are not always going to agree. On the other hand, we must control the exposure that we have to others. We don’t have to always go out with negative people. We can always hold them at an arm’s length.

 The fact is, when we go after our goals, there are going to be landmines and some of these landmines need to be engaged with. Who does not wish that life was at least a little easier? The fact is that we all have challenges and most of these challenges need to be engaged with in a positive and thoughtful way.

Summary:

In order to achieve amazing success, it is important to engage with the challenges we face. This will allow you to grow and move forward on the journey to reaching your full potential.