How do you deal with difficult situations? Do you embrace the challenge and see problems as opportunities? Or do you crumble and let the situation get the best of you? Even the strong grow tired and must be reminded from time to time of their humanity. What does your personal safety net look like and who do you have in your “inner circle” to help you get over those obstacles that often seem like too much to overcome?

I hope you have answers to these questions and, if not, spend time in quiet reflection answering them. Indeed for me, this reflection comes on a daily basis for varying amounts of time and is a way I center myself to embrace challenges as opportunities. This is not always an easy task, but a necessary one for certain. It is in discipline that leaders and winners overcome all obstacles. They embrace the daily grind and improve in small ways everyday. Get better at one thing everyday. No matter how small that thing may be, it’s those little victories that end up shaping who you are, how you’re perceived, and how far you’ll go. Ask the hard questions, say I’m sorry, run that extra lap, listen a few minutes more, share a few more details.

No matter what your challenges, know that there is someone who wants to help you, though it may not always feel like it. Know there is always someone willing to listen, though you may not know who. It is only in adversity that we as humans grow and become more of that which we already are. How you deal with that adversity will reveal who you are or who you want to be…only you have the power to choose. Every decision, every feeling is part of a conscious experience about what kind of life you want to live. Remember, you are never alone and there is always a greater glory waiting for you.

Go Forth!