The value of challenge

Have you ever noticed that life is best at those times when it is the most challenging. A quick look back will confirm that the most fondly remembered and valuable experiences also had some kind of significant challenges associated with them.

Why is that? Because it is your very nature to overcome challenges. You are exquisitely equipped to thrive on the challenges. In fact, ever since the moment you were born you have been successfully dealing with challenges ranging from staying alive to getting attention to improving your environment and the world around you.

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to have no challenges at all. There would be no decisions to be made, no problems to be solved, no physical effort or exertion necessary, nothing new to be learned, no relationships to nurture. And there would be nothing to accomplish, no way to achieve a genuine sense of satisfaction, no means by which you could grow stronger.

Making progress in life is not a matter of completely freeing yourself from the challenges, for that would render life virtually meaningless. In fact, making real progress is a matter of constantly moving on toward more and more meaningful and valuable challenges. By so doing, you are fulfilling the best of your possibilities.

The more willing you are to take on challenges, the more richness you’ll bring into your life and your world. The best teachers are not the ones who simply explain the material, but rather the ones who challenge their students to explain it. The best coaches are the ones who refuse to accept anything less than outstanding performance.

The more challenges you have, the more you learn, and the more you grow. Challenge can inspire you to innovation. It motivates you to get started and to keep going. Challenge can make strong and gives you the confidence to attempt great things.

Challenge can often be frustrating, yet in that frustration is a powerful degree of motivation. The worse you feel, the more willing you are to do something about it. Challenges provide you with that edge, and can bring out a strong desire to move forward. When you seek out challenge, what you end up finding is opportunity. What you end up creating as the result of taking on challenges is real and lasting value.