Jon and I were talking the other day about dealing with life’s challenges. Jon made an interesting point. He said “You feel the same about what’s in front of you, regardless of the context.”
In other words, the biggest challenge you’re facing now, will feel the same as the biggest challenge someone else is facing, regardless of how big or small that challenge actually is.
I’ll give you an example. Let’s say you’re not working. You’re used to having time on your hands so having a day where you have to attend to a number of things might feel quite rushed and stressful.
But it probably will feel the same level of rushed and stressful as someone who works and has to attend to the same number things before or after work.
It’s all about what you’re used to and the level of challenge you face on a daily basis.
Challenge is actually good for us.
We need something to strive for or against.
Challenge is what gives us a sense of mastery.
And it is mastery that gives us a sense of control and self-worth.
I’m sure you can remember a time where you did something that was uncomfortable or difficult. You may have worried about it beforehand or dreaded having to do it. And then when you did it you felt a real sense of achievement. What a confidence boost! Knowing that that thing you thought was too hard for you was actually manageable.
That’s a sense of mastery.
If you want to gain confidence I recommend setting yourself small challenges regularly. Do something that puts you out of your comfort zone. You will be gradually building a sense of mastery in your life.
Keep a record of the challenges you set yourself. The 1st thing you do might feel like a 7 out of 10 in terms of challenge but after you’ve been doing these challenges for a while it might be a 2 out of 10 when you look back on it.
What challenge are you going to set yourself today?
