10 Reasons to Appreciate Difficulties by Stacy C.

Life always finds ways to hand us challenges.

Sometimes the challenges are self inflicted because of poor choices
that we have made. Other times they are inflicted on us because of
poor choices that other people have made that directly or
indirectly influence our lives.

Many times challenges are just part of life.

No matter the cause of the challenge we can choose to face the
challenges in one of two ways.

We can choose to take the challenge head on and make the most of
them, seeing them as opportunities to grow as a person. OR we can
moan and complain about how unfair the world is and continue
finding the same challenges until we choose to take life's lessons
and use them to grow.

That is why we can find at least ten reasons to appreciate
difficulties that life throws our way! Following are ten reasons
that we can appreciate the difficulties in our lives.

10 Reasons to Appreciate Difficulties

1. If life was easy all of the time we would grow lazy and rarely
be motivated to change and grow. How motivated were you to change
and grow the last time that you were laying on a beach under the
sun and beautiful blue sky?

2. Difficulties often force us to change in ways that we never
would otherwise. When we are put in situations that make us
uncomfortable we see the need for a change in our own actions,
attitudes and thinking. (Assuming that we are looking to grow,
otherwise all we see is how other people need to change to make us
comfortable!)

3. You can inspire and encourage others towards personal growth and
development! Others can be inspired by you in many ways, whether
they are watching you from the sidelines or whether you share with
them how you overcame a difficulty when they are going through a
similar trial.

4. After you have come out of the difficulty and look back at how
you grew and overcame challenges you will feel great about yourself!

5. Each difficulty presents a learning opportunity, otherwise it
wouldn't be difficult. Look for the lesson to be learned, look as
hard as you need to because once you find that lesson it is
something that you will be able to carry with you for your whole
life!

6. Look at someone who hates challenges, look at how miserable they
are and how miserable they make people around them. Know that you
won't be like them, being controlled by circumstances rather than
being in control over themselves.

7. Challenges initiate creativity. It is said that difficulty is
the mother of all inventions, when people are in situations that
they don't like the successful people will use their creativity to
find ways to deal with the difficulties. Many inventions were
created this way and also many great works of art were created in
times of the artist's stress.

8. New relationships can be made through challenges. You could meet
people who have gone through the same challenges as you and develop
very strong bonds that will last years. Some challenges bring about
instant bonds. For instance, I'm a cancer survivor and there is an
instant connection when I meet someone else who is one as well.
There are plenty of other types of challenges which bring bonding
between people such as the loss of a loved one or surviving a
tragedy.

9. If you are a spiritual person your challenges present a unique
opportunity to reach out to your creator and also by finding other
ways to grow spiritually.

10. Each time that you successfully overcome a difficulty you will
have more confidence to successfully overcome the next challenge
that life throws your way. You will become stronger each time and
each event of personal growth through these challenges will build
on each other to make you stronger and stronger, more and more
confident!