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Today's
quotation:
When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge
to test our courage and
willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in
pretending
that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready.
The
challenge will not wait. Life does not look back.
Paulo Coelho
The Devil and Miss Prym
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Today's
Meditation:
Challenges,
of course, seem like a type of adversity-- something sent
to us to help us to become stronger, to help us to grow
and develop as people. This is true as long as we're
willing to step up and actually meet challenges in our
lives rather than shy away from them. Sometimes
challenges come disguised as obstacles that can't be
overcome, so it's important that we learn how to discern
the difference between a legitimate challenge and
something that really isn't worth taking on.
A
challenge does invite us to change. We're not the
same people after having met a challenge as we were
beforehand, no matter how much we may feel just the
same. And that's one reason why many people refuse
to take on the challenges in their lives-- because they
fear the changes that may result. But we should fear
less the change than we should fear staying the same
always, never growing, never learning.
So
what do we do when a challenge arises in our lives that
intimidates us? When we're faced with something that
scares us, or maybe even terrifies us? We take a
step back and we reconsider what's before us in order to
figure out whether it's a challenge that's worth our while
and not just a foolish risk. If it is a decent
challenge, then we need to muster our courage and take it
on, knowing that when we successfully face the challenge--
no matter what the outcome-- we will have become
slightly different people with a new set of experiences
from which we've learned.
I
love challenges. I actively seek them out every
chance I get. Last year, I taught kindergartners
because I had never done it before, and it was an amazing
experience. This year I'm back to teaching high
school in an area with chronic underperformance, with
students who are really good people but who have very poor
skills-- and my challenge is to help them to learn strong
skills. Such challenges are the things that life is
made of, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this
challenge brings me.
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