It’s not always adversity that shapes us, but the quiet tests-the ordinary moments that ask more of us. Not everything is a crisis and these tests, or challenges, are opportunities that can help us grow, adapt, strengthen and/or soften. Our challenges form our character and hide in the daily moments that test our discipline or patience. Let these things teach you, not rattle you. Everyday challenges can be small but meaningful moments that push us, shape us, or shift our perspective. These challenges might appear as personal, within a relationship, emotional, and could be simple or complex. This is about anything you experience that is testing how you respond, moments that require effort to be better. It could be anything.
Some examples of challenges:
Eating healthy, making better meal choices
Moving more, exercising
Speaking up, standing up for yourself
Listening better, being more present
Expressing honesty, voicing your truth
Responding, not reacting
Leadership or following
Making decisions, making changes
Adapting instead of resisting
Anything that tests you is a challenge, no matter what it is. Personally, some of my recent challenges just today have been time management, not overreacting to a lazy or incompetent delivery driver, not exceeding the speed limit, being present with Larry, and being patient with a friend, and it’s only 12:00 PM. The challenges we might experience are limitless. And, regardless of how big or small, a challenge is a challenge.
But daily discipline matters. Are you practicing discipline? Decisions and actions compound. Everything is training or preparing for something else. How you respond now has a consequence and is building toward something later.
I invite you to put into practice more daily discipline that helps you deal with life’s challenges. Recognize when you are experiencing a challenge and respond with clear, decisive discipline. What would this look like on your yoga mat? For example, when you want to come out of the pose, but you choose to stay in it. What would this look like with your spouse or significant other? Perhaps it is more patience or presence? What would this look like with yourself? Perhaps it is putting into practice self-care, speaking up, or slowing down?
To deal with small, everyday challenges effectively, consider adding a pause before responding, taking a few deep breaths, or taking a moment of stillness. Also, instead of seeing challenges as problems, try asking yourself, “What is this teaching me?” I invite you to try daily discipline for a week and treat it like an experiment. Notice how it feels to enforce a higher standard for yourself. Maybe even have a little fun with it. Consider sharing your experiment with someone else and invite them to join you.
How you respond to this week’s challenges goes a long way to determine next week’s experiences, rewards, and disappointments. Remember, our decisions and actions compound, and ultimately create our way of being and our lives.