SIX STEPS FOR LEADING YOURSELF THROUGH CHALLENGES
by: Remie Longbrake | published: January 17, 2022
As millions of us are faced with continued Covid-related struggles we are pressed to continue on and strive for a resolution to so many difficulties. With this, we are forced to work outside or our traditional elements and brave the new world we’ve been experiencing these past couple years now.
So even though we are forced to contend with our reality, we can still fine-tune our goals to better lead ourselves, even if the circumstances to get there have changed. The problem is we’ve been forced into positions, such as working from home, or having reduced hours, or been let go from the job we had. So how is it that we find ourselves through these challenges? To stay motivated, and be at our best for our families, friends and co-workers is something we should all want to do.
So here’s some practical steps we can all take to seek positive results and continued success.
1. Review your goals
The best way to keep yourself going when faced with a problem or challenge is to review your goals and objectives. These goals could be business-related, money, staying fit, family-time and more. That’s for you to decide on. But the goals have a beginning and an end, and the goal is moving towards the objective, which should be challenging us and rewarding to accomplish.
The goal could be to lose weight, but what if the gyms have been closed? The challenge there is finding other ways to get fit and reach that goal. If it’s to make more money, how can you possibly earn more given a finite amount of time? This comes to reviewing our goals, to make sure we still want these, and to find innovative way to get the desired results.
2. Getting a clear vision
Vision to me, is very important. It is the ability to see what is really important in a situation and helps keep you motivated. Vision is there to help you see the larger picture, which is especially helpful when challenges arise. When you lack vision, you can begin to feel and believe that your problems are worse than they really are. On the other hand, people who have vision and an overall positive outlook can more easier see their path and momentum they are on, plus understand their vision and bigger goals.
In more difficult times having this vision is crucial, because it would be easier to just give in and accept the new reality. These past couple years would be a great example. On the other realm, in positive times having vision is also important, because we can be complacent.
3. Have more patience
Since the beginning of this epidemic, I am sure we all know what patience is! It is important to develop the ability to accept, or at least tolerate, the negative and unexpected aspects of health and work. It is about having confidence that your values and beliefs will succeed in the long run — and that if you put forth the effort and do what is right, even if things are difficult at the moment, your struggles will pay off over time.
4. Persevere with patience
Patience and persistence go hand in hand. Patience can help you to go through difficult times, but perseverance is essential if you are to continue reaching the goal. Persistence also keeps you focused on the goal. It’s about having faith in yourself, respecting your responsibilities, staying on course. To keeping your eye on the finish line, and knowing that things will get better in time.
5. Have empathy
I think in order develop a clear understanding of reality we need to be empathic of the current situation before us. We certainly can’t fake a positive aspect when it’s not true to us. Otherwise, we are only fooling ourselves, and any goals that we take won’t really factor in the present. And when we don’t live in the present, it becomes difficult to see the future and work intelligently towards a better outcome. So therefore, we need to be empathetic of the suffering that we encounter and see around us. That includes ourselves though. We should be honest with our feelings, whether that is physical or emotional. Because that are many who are suffering or have lost loved ones for that matter. It better serves us all when we understand the situation before us. Out of that moment however, we can make strides to better those around us and internally we can start to feel a better outcome is actually obtainable.
6. Being proud of where you are at
Being proud isn’t so much about bloating a job well done. It can be just as much as knowing you’ve been through trauma and you’ve overcome. That’s huge and should be celebrated. Additionally, it’s about believing in yourself and your abilities. It is a sense of satisfaction that comes from accomplishment. There are also confidence that you feel when you aim for the top and you know that things did not go the way you expect, which is the norm. If you believe in yourself, you have the strength to know that much is possible and will continue to be so. And you can help your family, friends, and others develop better feelings about themselves by showing strength and positivity along your journey.
In Closing
We certainly shouldn’t downplay the challenges that we are facing these days. Covid especially has taught us that we are adaptable to rapid changes, however that’s not always good. Although we tend to do our best when faces with challenges, it is up to each of us to continue improving ourselves, to not give in to any temptations to not do our absolute best.
We can all use more patience of course, however, we need to look within to determine what real challenges we are facing internally and use that in combination with our goals to overcome fears, and find ourselves so that we can lead better lives and help those around us in a more positive way.
It is up to each of us to pull together and use our gifts to persevere and help develop a future that we can all be proud of. It’s within us all.