Life is all about challenges. But, faced with a challenge, we all have a choice…accept it and deal with it or shirk it.
A challenge left unfaced is potential left unrealised. Quite often the protective boundaries that we self-construct are far more effective at keeping us in rather than keeping the world at bay.
We often misjudge our own potential. We are unable to see and appreciate our own strength until it is tested. We allow fear and uncertainty to hold us back.
The biggest challenges we face are those within in us. The world around us and the people who move within our space are difficult enough but we have to live with the person we are and our own self-image. It’s not possible to hide from ourselves.
That’s not to suggest that recklessness is a sensible option. Every challenge should be met with a considered response. Calculated risk is involved. Immediate action is not always necessary. Self-protection is a necessary prerequisite.
Personal growth is a matter of choice. Happiness, too, is a matter of choice. In the final analysis we are answerable to ourselves first and foremost.
But it is necessary to look beyond the walls we have built…to consider the possibilities…to accept responsibility for who we are while growing towards who we want to be.
Today – with all its threats, promises and potential – will not come around again. There is a need to treat the time we have with the respect it deserves. One way to do that is to weigh up any challenges and then decide if there is a way to use them our own advantage.
Life is meant to be lived.