We interpret challenges in lots of different ways. Sometimes we call them obstacles, or risks, or some other word that describes a thing that we think is greater than what we can do right now.
If we must face the challenge, there are times it proves to us that we’re not ready … yet. And there are other challenges that pull the best out of us, things we didn’t know we were capable of before the challenge showed its face to us. All-in-all though, challenges are revealing. When we change our frame to look at them differently, we can learn a lot about ourselves and others. Taking a moment to reframe when things are tough can give you new eyes, new goals, and another gear to get after it.
Here are a few things that came to mind this month, thinking about “challenges”:
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Caroline Goyder is a voice coach and gives a TED Talk about The Surprising Secret to Speaking with Confidence. This is one of my favorites, stay with Caroline to the end. (19 min video)
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Inner game practices can help us do hard stuff. The Finns call it Sisu. Angela Lee Duckworth talks about grit and how it stems from a growth mindset. (5 min read, 6 min video)
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Lawrence Yeo drops this short essay on us about The Gift of Challenge, and this stands out: “If you don’t do what’s important today, you’re robbing yourself of the gratitude you’ll feel tomorrow.” (5 min read)
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