Challenges Are Opportunities – By Eli Weinreb, LMSW:

We do new things on a day to day basis, some of them easier than others. At first, we can be intimidated by challenges that arise and hesitate from attempting it. When things don’t turn out the way we hope, we can be really hard on ourselves.

People can get intimidated by the word challenges. People can think of challenges as something you want to avoid and it being a bad thing. Although challenges may be difficult, if we didn’t have them, we may not push ourselves as hard as we do to achieve the goals we set out for ourselves.

When adjusting the word challenges to opportunities it changes the whole narrative of what’s in front of you. Opportunities are chances for growth and that makes it a lot easier to embrace and make an attempt.

Another important aspect to remember is that we will not succeed on the first attempt every time. THAT’S OKAY. Think of it as a baby who is attempting to walk for the first time. When they get up and take a step, they fall and we say, “Good job” and Try again.” We focus on the progress no matter how small it is and encourage the baby to try again. Yelling at the baby or putting them down will not assist in the mastering learning to walk.

The same applies with us. It’s important to remember that we are all babies in certain areas. Every first attempt is as if we are that baby trying to walk. Just as we give that baby encouragement and focus on the small aspects of success, we need to give ourselves that same positive and motivation.

It says V’ahavta L’reacha Kamocha which means you should love your fellow As You Love yourself. Another aspect is to remember to love yourself as you do others. Give yourself that same understanding and patience that you give to others around you to give yourself the ability to grow and succeed.

So let’s go out there and embrace your challenges with positivity and motivation.