5 Reasons to See Challenges as Opportunities

Everyone has trials in life. We all have unique problems to overcome. In my book, Accept No Trash Talk, I mention famous celebrities who have overcome challenges in their lives. They have all been faced with poverty, medical difficulties, social challenges, struggles in their career, or challenges in a variety of areas.

Why do we Have Challenges?

Our challenges seem to be designed to stretch us and lead us to the next level by helping us to overcome our specific weaknesses. For example, my family has always been familiar with technology; I haven’t. Lately, I have surmounted this weakness by facing the harsh reality of it and allowing people to help me to learn the basics of social media. 

Sybil, in a blog post entitled “Why a Challenge May be Exactly What you Need” on possibilityoftoday.com, states that our trials help us to grow stronger in four ways:

Shape our character

Give us confidence

Smooth our rough edges

Give us lessons for future success

How can we cope with Challenges?

Carol Tuttle, in an article entitled “Do Your Challenges Make you Stronger or Make you Struggle?” , on The Carol Blog, says that we can try to view our challenges from an optimistic point of view. Instead of looking at them as huge obstacles that we need to struggle against, we can look at them as an opportunity to gain strength. 

Ms. Tuttle suggests that we focus on how our trials can facilitate growth and change. She also suggests that we embrace any resources that offer spiritual, emotional, and physical help while we are going through the painful process of transformation.

What are the names of some Famous Writers who have Overcome Great Challenges?

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (1830–1886) was an American poet who turned an eccentric, introverted childhood into a poetry style that would forever change the face of that genre.

Stephen King (1947-present) is, arguably, the top-selling author of horror novels in the United States. He overcame childhood rejection and poverty, rejection in his writing career, and injury from a serious motor vehicle accident.

J.K Rowling (1965-present) is the United Kingdom’s top selling author. She writes the Harry Potter Series. She has had many challenges in her life, including the following: her mother’s illness and death, a challenging relationship with her father, domestic abuse during her first marriage (finally ending in divorce), a miscarriage, clinical depression, and poverty.

Malala Yousafzai (1997-present) is a Pakistani author, social activist, and youngest-ever Nobel Prize recipient. She was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. She fought for human rights despite death threats and an assassination attempt. Ms. Yousafzai's memoir, I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban, was published in October, 2013.

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was an American abolitionist and author. Who bravely wrote a novel called Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) that exposed the horrors of African-American slavery in America. She and her husband also challenged the system by temporarily sheltering fleeing slaves in their own home as part of the Underground Railroad.

What Can These Victorious Writers Teach Us?

These champions can teach us how to acknowledge and embrace our unique attributes, including our weaknesses. They can teach us that we don’t have to be blocked by whatever our unique challenges may be, whether those trials include prejudice, social injustice, rejection, or poverty.

How have your challenges become your opportunities?