Celebrating Your Challenges

Getting Through Our “Stuff”

Life ain’t easy. We face various life challenges- from personal to professional and beyond. While challenges can be difficult to overcome, it’s important to recognize their role in our growth and development.

The fact you are a living, breathing, human being means you are going to go through some “stuff” (i.e. challenges) in your life, both positive and negative, big and small.

Some “stuff” will feel like minor bumps in the road on your life’s journey. Other “stuff” will feel like an unexpected mountain falling in your path challenging you to give up or climb over. Still other “stuff” will activate your unique superpowers and inspire you to use them for good.

In this blog post, we’ll explore four positive aspects of challenges and how they can actually help us become stronger and more resilient.

Positive Side of Life’s Challenges

Challenging experiences allow us to grow as individuals. Let’s explore four major ways life’s curveballs can present us with new opportunities for personal growth and empowerment.

Challenges force us to step outside our comfort zones

One of the biggest benefits of facing challenges is that they push us outside our comfort zones. Whether trying a new hobby, pursuing a career change, or dealing with a difficult situation, these experiences present opportunities to learn and grow in ways we never thought possible. By stepping outside our comfort zones and embracing challenges, we can develop new skills, face our fears, and gain self-confidence.

What is one challenge you’re dealing with right now? What are some ways you can embrace it instead of fear it?

Challenges can be frightening, but they can also be opportunities for growth and transformation. By stepping outside your comfort zones, you can expand your perspectives, build confidence, and gain new skills. Doing something different, even when it’s uncomfortable, will help you discover your true potential. You are capable of achieving amazing things, and with a little courage and determination, nothing is impossible for you.

Challenges teach us valuable life lessons

Challenges can also provide us with valuable life lessons. Whether it’s learning to be patient, persevering through difficult times, or gaining a new perspective on life, challenges can teach us important skills that we might not have acquired otherwise. These experiences can help us become more understanding, empathetic, and better equipped to handle future challenges.

Think of a challenge you overcame. What valuable life lesson(s) did you learn from it that you still use today?

Ultimately, the challenges we face in life can be extremely difficult, but they often teach us critical lessons that make us better people. Learning to navigate through challenging times builds our resilience and confidence, and strengthens our sense of self-worth.

Challenges can bring us closer to others

Facing challenges can also bring us closer to those around us. Whether it’s turning to friends and family for support, seeking guidance from mentors and colleagues, or participating in a group activity, challenges can create opportunities for connection and collaboration. By working together to overcome obstacles, we can build stronger relationships and develop a sense of community.

When you’re facing a challenge, whose got your back? Who is the one person you turn to for support?

The connections we form through our challenges are ones that will stay with us forever and teach us valuable lessons. Life is a bumpy road with plenty of turning points, but there is strength in community and in facing our struggles together. It’s ok not to be ok and to ask for help from others.

Challenges can lead to personal growth

Finally, challenges can help us grow as individuals. By facing difficult situations head-on, we can develop inner strength, resilience, and a greater sense of self-awareness. When we overcome a challenge, we often emerge stronger and more capable than before. These experiences can help us become more confident, self-assured women who are better equipped to handle whatever life throws our way.

Think of a challenge you have overcome. How did it change your life? How did you grow as a result of it?

With every challenge comes an opportunity for growth. Challenges allow us to grow not only in knowledge, but in character; uncovering truths that help make us more content with ourselves and our purpose in life. When faced with obstacles or hardship, remember that each one is another chance to learn something about yourself.

Bottom Line

How we handle the “stuff” life throws at us – while it’s happening – determines how we’ll emerge when it ends.

While challenges can be difficult, they also offer a wealth of positive benefits. By stepping outside our comfort zones, learning valuable life lessons, and growing as individuals, we can become stronger, more resilient women who are capable of handling whatever life throws our way.

When you think about the tough times you’re going through, will you feel battered and bruised, hopeless and disengaged? Or will you stand in amazement at your own strength and celebrate yourself for getting through it?

Will you view the challenge as a “failure” in your life and beat yourself up for years to come? Or will you squeeze as many life lessons from it as you can to keep moving towards the next best version of yourself?

Embracing life’s challenges and focusing on the positive aspects of those experiences can help us lead fulfilling, rewarding lives as imperfectly perfect human beings living a human experience the best way we know how.

This Month’s Quote

This month’s quote inspires us to think of our challenges as growth opportunities and to explore what we gain as a result of going through them, instead of what we lose. Let’s journal about it…

This Month’s Journal Prompt

Self-Reflect and Grow

It’s time to self-reflect! Grab your favorite Disrupted Unicorn Journal Notebook and pen, get comfy, take a few deep breaths, and reflect on this month’s journal prompt:

For the next 5 – 15 minutes, write down your thoughts to these questions:

• Re-read this month’s quote.
• Think of a recent challenge in your life.
• What is the challenge?
• What is happening in your life as a result of the challenge?
• List all the lessons and insights about yourself that you are learning as a result of the challenge.

Level up (optional):

• How can you use the lessons and insights you’ve identified to emerge a stronger person when your current challenge ends?

Journal writing is a personal and often deeply emotional activity. If you feel uncomfortable or distressed about a particular prompt we post, please feel free to skip it and journal about whatever is on your mind or heart.