Persistence, Part 5: Looking for the gift in challenges

Over the last few weeks, we have explored how we can cultivate persistent attitudes. We have talked about why we need to persist to capture success in any area of our lives, along with the importance of a healthy response to setbacks and failures. We also discussed how important it is to maintain a positive attitude as we travel the road to success, and last week we discussed taking a proactive approach to challenges so that we are not victims of circumstances or of others; instead, we are the creators of our destinies in our careers and in our lives.

Have you had a bad day lately? A day where you thought it just couldn’t get any worse? We all have them—you know, those days when it seems that life is just throwing everything at you but the proverbial kitchen sink…when life’s challenges are just hitting you repeatedly in the face, testing you in your personal life, career, and emotional wellbeing. It can be hard to see at the time, but when life or career challenges come our way, there is almost always a lesson to be learned if we are looking for it and willing to be open to it. As Napoleon Hill wrote, “Within every problem or obstacle lays the seed of an equal or greater opportunity or benefit. Your job is to find it.”

I am dedicating this blog post to my father. My father has always been my biggest supporter, encouraging and supporting me as I’ve followed my dreams. He spent countless hours cheering me on at the rink, getting up at 4 a.m. to drive me to hockey practice. Academically, he pushed me to get a college education and has been a constant sounding board as I have progressed in my career.

One of the many things I’ve learned from my father is this principle: always look for the gifts in the challenges we face in both work and life. This uncanny skill my father possesses led him to a successful career in medical sales, financial freedom in his retirement, and a tremendous marriage to my mom for over 40 years. 

This skill was evident when I was about 10 years old. My parents, like many others, were affected by the banking crisis of 1980s. Everything my parents had worked for was trickling through their fingers, so they made a decision to move across the country where the job markets were better, selling everything they had—with the exception of our 24-foot trailer that we lived in for almost two years.

Those two years produced some of the best memories I have of my childhood. You see, my father never allowed us to feel badly about our situation; instead, he embraced it as a gift. The lot we rented was in the mountains in western Canada, a location with countless biking trails and a beautiful lake—truly a kids’ playground paradise. We played board games at night and went on many adventures in the woods. We did have small 10-inch TV that received one channel so we could watch Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday night as a family. What great times!

This unique ability to see the gift in every challenge continues to exude from my father. A month ago, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and is now fighting the battle of his life. He just had his surgery this past week, and although the surgery had its complications, he expects to recover fully and to be back to his normal self in the coming months.

When my father was diagnosed, he did not exhibit the typical reaction to the news. He made it a point to let everyone know that his situation was actually a gift, and his new personal life mission is to encourage everyone to talk to a doctor about getting a colonoscopy. I remember him telling me over the phone, “If I can help one person not have to go through what I am dealing with, it will make it all worthwhile.” Wow! I was absolutely blown away with emotion when I heard him say that. What an incredible, courageous person I am blessed with as my dad.

What if challenges in life are there to help us grow? What if overcoming obstacles is similar to lifting weights: the heavier the weight, the more strength is required, and the harder the obstacle, the deeper we must dig? What if the struggles we undergo are meant to help us release a potential we didn’t realize we had? Author Mike Dooley says, “If you understood the extraordinary gifts that every single challenge in your life makes possible, even inevitable, you’d celebrate your challenges, new and old alike, as the omens that they are of new beginnings and spectacular change.”

Look for the life lesson.

Why not turn a life or career challenge into a gift? Why not take it one step further and ask: how can I receive this gift? Use these questions in the most challenging of moments to help mentally frame your situation, thus leading to positive reactions.

The next time you have a challenge, peer straight into its eyes and say: “I see you. What are you here to teach me?” Look for the value it can bring into your life. Any difficult life or career situation could actually become your best opportunity for vibrant life and can be used purposefully for your growth and learning.

I leave you with this last quote, which is attributed to Helen Keller: “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…unless you fail to make the turn.”

To my biggest fan—my Dad, who reads every one of my posts—I love you, and we are all behind you! You are going to beat this thing!

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