As much as we do our best to avoid them, challenges are part of life and there’s nothing we can do about it if not overcome them. Although I believe in the power of positivity, I do not believe in denying our problems by convincing ourselves that life is good when it’s not. If not taken care of fast and efficiently, problems will stack up until it becomes so overwhelming that we can’t ignore them anymore.
The thing with challenges is that life keeps and will always keep throwing them at us no matter how many we overcome. It’s a never-ending cycle. Some of us will go through worst hard times than others, but the rule still applies to anyone: everybody is bound to face adversity.
If we know challenges will come our way anyway, wouldn’t it be a good idea to first equip ourselves with the knowledge necessary to overcome them? When my mother passed away a few years ago during my 19th birthday, I was devastated. A part of me broke and tears wouldn’t stop, it was hands-down the hardest time of my life. But I was able to overcome this challenge easier than most people because of all the self-development work I’d done on myself before, and the journey I had already went through.
The title of this article may have caught your attention, and you may even wonder if there is such a thing as “overcoming a challenge in 24 hours”. Let me be blunt with you: there is no magic pill. No matter what you are going through, it will take time and effort. That being said, I’ve condensed in this article what years of pain taught me. These ways will certainly help you alleviate your pain and find solutions depending on the issue you’re facing in 24 hours.
MINDSET IS KEY
As the saying goes, “80% of success is the psychology and 20% the mechanics”. Two people could go through the exact same experience and yet produce two different results based on their mindset alone.
The mindset dictates how you feel, which in turn determines the actions you are going to take. And all of that create the results you are going to get.
Everything that I’m going to share with you in this article is going to take care of the mindset aspect. After all, the techniques and how-to’s are going to vary depending on the problem you’re trying to solve. However, the principles are timeless and apply for anything.
12 TIPS TO OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGE
1 – LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH NO REGRETS
Let’s start with some groundwork. You and I both don’t know what life holds in store for us, and the worst could happen anytime, even as early as tomorrow. This is why I believe in expecting the worst so that you can live fully with no regrets.
The purpose of this tip is to alleviate the pain that you may feel in the future. Let’s face it: problems are inevitable. No matter how much we prepare, anything could happen anytime. We could lose our legs tomorrow and feel devastated by it. But what’s worse is to feel regrets on top of that.
Cherish each moment of your life and make choices that you’ll be proud of in the future.
2 – PRACTICE GRATITUDE
There are plenty of things we want and pursue, but most of us don’t realize how much we already have. There’s no point in getting more if we don’t already appreciate what we have.
Gratitude shifts your focus and forces you to concentrate on the good. As soon as you focus on what you do have instead of on what you lost, you’ll feel better which will facilitate coping with whatever you are going through.
The times where you don’t want to practice gratitude are when you need to do it the most. In those moments, our brains are similar to a dog clinging on its bone – which is why you need to let go.
Depending on your past conditioning and your interpretation of all the events you had to go through, gratitude can either be easy or hard to attain.
3 – FOCUS ON THE SOLUTION
Each time I face a challenge in my online business I need to overcome, I always make it a point to focus on the solution. Sometimes, it’s not as simple as it sounds. For some reason, my brain keeps getting back at the problem and wants to focus on the negative stuff. But I’ve come to realize that focusing on the problem is only a waste of time and energy.
Instead, most of your time should be spent thinking about a solution as this is what will truly move the needle.
4 – SAY AFFIRMATIONS
I just love affirmations because they’re working towards reprogramming your brain. Shad Helmstetter, author of the book What You Say When You Talk To Your Self, says that, “the subconscious mind is a sponge – it will believe anything you tell it – if you tell it often enough and strongly enough.”
Ideally, they should be used on a daily basis even before a problem arise – being proactive and not reactive is key. However, they can still be used anytime when you need them to hammer a specific thought into your head.
Keep in mind that as Dr. Shad Helmstetter said, repetition is key. Create affirmations specific to your needs and say them again and again.
5 – GET SUPPORT
Human beings aren’t made to be on their own. And it doesn’t have anything to do with being an introvert, which I am. Having someone to talk to and that can give you some advice is more beneficial than you may think.
Expressing yourself also allows you to release any negative emotions that you may have been holding back, which isn’t a healthy way to overcome challenges at all.
I have created a Facebook group to build a community of loving people willing to help each other during tough times. You can ask to join the group anytime.
6 – ASK YOURSELF THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
It’s no wonder you feel depressed when asking yourself low-quality questions such as, “Why does this always happen to me?”. I’ve found that different questions will elicit different emotions.
Try this exercise: answer those two questions, and see how each one makes you feel a different feeling.
- What’s the most painful experience you had to go through?
- What’s the best, most beautiful moment of your life you never want to forget?
Controlling your focus is controlling your emotions. Be aware of the questions you’re asking yourself when things don’t go your way and change them for better, more empowering questions.
7 – WATCH OUT FOR YOUR VOCABULARY
When trying to overcome a challenge, your subconscious mind is both your best ally and your worst enemy, depending on how you trigger it. It will comply with any of your demand, whether it be positive or negative. And what most people don’t recognize is that your demands aren’t necessarily what you consciously formulate.
Any kind of self-talk is a form of demand. So if you innocently tell yourself that you’ll never be able to solve a problem or get over an experience, guess what? Your mind will comply and just do that!
By the time we’re adults, we often also have certain associations with some words, such as work or problem. Maybe the word “challenge” doesn’t trigger you as much as the word “problem” does. Challenge promotes growth, whereas problems often promotes… problems.
Everyone has different associations with different words, so I suggest you look into yourself to find your own answer.
8 – BE POSITIVE
I know this sounds like typical, general, vague advice in the self-development world but bear with me. There are many benefits that comes with positivity.
First, it forces you to believe in yourself and actively look for a solution. Second, it eradicates the possibility of you giving up since you’ll always find a way to stay optimistic. Third, it will make you enjoy life and the process much more which is invaluable.
9 – LET YOUR BODY EXPRESS ITSELF
The truth is that we aren’t robots, so let your body express itself when it needs it. Just like you give it the sleep, food and water it needs, don’t hold back when it comes to emotional needs.
I certainly didn’t hold back my tears when my mom passed away, and I still feel pain and sorrow on occasion. The key is that I never try to suppress those feelings – which I was doing in the past but never had any positive effect on me.
10 – RELAX
Relaxing can sound like a bad thing but can prove to be the breakthrough you need. It doesn’t mean slacking off for days and weeks, but taking a one step back to take 3 steps forward.
11 – GET INSPIRED
Many people have been through much worse than you, and have successfully overcome these challenges. Go find these people and hear their stories.. get inspired!
12 – SEE THIS EXPERIENCE AS AN OPPORTUNITY
Changing the way we look at something can change how we feel about it. If instead of looking at problems, you looked at opportunities, overcoming them would be much easier. I get excited when I see an opportunity because it means growth, becoming a better person that I was.
13 – DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL
So many people have a negative connotation with the word “failure”, as if failing was forbidden. On the contrary, it’s a good thing. Don’t be afraid to enjoy your failures because they get you one step closer to your breakthrough.
Keep trying many different things until one works. I’ve always operated this way and it hasn’t failed me once.
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