How to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth

Learning to see challenges as opportunities is something that I spend a lot of time teaching athletes and professionals. We spend time exploring not just why adversity is a good thing, but understanding how to use it to your advantage. To be successful and to live with a sense of grounded balance, it’s paramount to know how to not get caught up in the web of the obstacles you face. 

Why You Need to Face Challenges to Grow

It’s a fact of life that we will face challenges. It’s the way it goes. We have periods of ease, and we have periods of struggle. No one escapes this, but everyone deals with it differently. Have you ever wondered what separates your role models or those who have achieved greatness? One surefire common trait is how they embrace adversity. 

“The stress that comes with challenges and hardship is crucial for growth. We just have to know how to use it positively.”

– George Mumford, Unlocked

In his book, Unlocked, George Mumford, who is a mindful performance coach and has worked with such phenoms as Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, writes about his famed saying, “No struggle, no swag.” He reminds us that what we resist, persists. In the context of the book, he is talking about how the lessons we need to learn will continue to show up until we learn them. George goes on to share that in order to do this, we must learn how to tolerate discomfort. In other words, get comfortable being uncomfortable. 

I have found this to be key: To achieve and maintain mental peace, we must learn how to be resilient.

Challenges present the greatest opportunity to learn. If there were no challenges, we’d never grow. On the surface, a life without problems may seem appealing, but consider for a moment who you’ve become each time you’ve overcome adversity. When I look back at the various aspects of who I previously was earlier in my life (i.e., how I showed up in the world, how I handled adversity, how uncomfortable I was with myself), I’m proud of all the challenges I’ve faced and how far I’ve come. I’m excited to continue to evolve. It’s why even when things are hard–and I’m going through a particularly challenging period as I write this–I’m able to stay motivated to see things through. 

Whenever I come through an obstacle or difficult period, I grow and I feel a little more grounded and at peace. I feel more like myself. 

If you find yourself struggling, here are some ways you can embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. 

5 ways to Use Challenges as Opportunities for Growth

1. Everything is temporary. Both pain and pleasure are part of our existence, and both are temporary. The key is to embrace where you are without letting it own you. When you let temporary circumstances consume you, you can get stuck there. You are where are you for a reason, but you can also move past it! It is self-empowering and mentally healthy to take a deep breath and remember that obstacles are temporary. Furthermore, it’s normal to want things to always be fun, easy, and carefree. However, if you can accept that even those times are supposed to be temporary, not only will you appreciate the good moments more, you’ll be better equipped to accept the difficult ones. You will show up knowing that periods of ease and difficulties cycle constantly. I’d even go a step further to argue that they are constantly happening together at all times. That is, when one thing is easy, something else might be difficult at the same time. In summary, when you’re struggling, know that those obstacles are temporary and better days are most assured ahead. You can use this knowledge to help yourself stay grounded in the face of adversity, and it’ll also give you a competitive edge over those who lose focus when things don’t go their way.

2. Pivot. In every good game plan, there is a strategy, but in every winning game plan, there is also room to pivot and adjust. If you can have a plan and be willing to learn and adjust as you go, you’ll be in the right flow. How do you know it’s time to pivot? Well, if you feel like you’re trying but going in circles and getting the same results, that’s a good indication it’s time to adjust. These adjustments can lead you to find other parts of yourself that perhaps you disconnected from or never knew existed.

3. Mind your mindset. Intention and mindset can’t be underestimated. If you are approaching your problem thinking it will be hard, then it will be! Strengthen your mental muscle by being intentional with how you choose to show up. Give yourself permission to be liberated from the blocks and doubts that hold you back.

4. Best effort. Growth rarely–or at least very slowly–occurs when you give less than your best effort. Some days you may not feel like showing up. Rest when you have to but also learn when to push through. Use the pain of where you are and the desire for the outcome you want to stay motivated to do your best. Visualize what you want and get back to work step by step. Show yourself what you’re capable of.

5. No excuses. Many times when things don’t go your way, the easiest thing to do is to look for something, or someone, to blame. The greats don’t do this. They take ownership of their results and choose the next best step. The important differentiator here is that they aren’t overly hard on themselves, they don’t wallow in self-pity, and they don’t shut down thinking they aren’t good enough or deserving enough. They have self-compassion, they learn, they improve, they adjust, and they take the next best step. This type of growth can make you unstoppable.

While I can’t tell you what you’re supposed to learn from each challenge you face, I do hope that you find the confidence to make adjustments so you can continue to evolve as your best self. That self-discovery is one of the hardest yet most rewarding gifts in life. Together, your experiences and how you handle them, help you grow because you learn from doing. You build confidence from experience.