Most people I know want to develop and grow. Some do so by choosing to invest in education to increase their general knowledge or learn a specific skill. Others seek personal and professional advice from mentors and counselors. Yet others endeavor to become stronger, leaner and faster. I am definitely a proponent of these methods and strive to become greater in each of these areas. These are great challenges to take on to help us grow. However, we also grow when we navigate through adversity. Not only we should embrace these challenging situations when they come, there’s room for creating more as opportunities to grow.
We will all experience many trials along our journey, but trials don’t have to be verdicts. Know that the pain and discomfort is temporary, even seasonal, but not final. Pushing through something difficult and stretching just beyond our reach build the muscle, stamina and mental fortitude we need to successfully confront our next challenge.
Some of these challenges come to you without seeking them; we deal with them as they come. It is how we approach and respond to these challenges that define how much we will grow. Other challenges can be sought after intentionally to build mental or physical strength, and the confidence to confront even bigger challenges, or opportunities to become greater.
In 1994, while celebrating a friend’s upcoming wedding, I was involved in an incident that resulted in several of us inflicted with multiple gunshot wounds. This incident almost cost my life, potentially leaving fatherless children as had happened to me and my siblings 11 years earlier when someone took my father’s life on 15 March, 1983.
While this was a traumatic situation for me, the days and nights hospitalized that followed gave me time to reflect on life and how to change this tragedy into an opportunity to transform my life. The journey that followed was far from perfect, but did give me a renewed sense of purpose, vitality and perseverance. In many ways, I owe this grit to what I did after losing my father and almost losing my life. This reminds me of a Japanese quote, “nanakorobi yaoki”, which literally means, fall seven times, stand up eight.
I’ve found that purposely seeking the right challenges can be useful in building a greater you. For example, the benefits that came from pursuing graduate school in 2002, a two-year endeavor, and training for a marathon in 2008, four months of grueling miles, lasted beyond the immediate objectives, Master’s degree and completing 26.2 miles respectively. The countless miles week after week and two years devouring books, writing and researching built a sense of confidence and belief in me that I tapped into to take on even greater feats.
More recently, after years of working within the Signals Intelligence field, I became comfortable. I faced another decision to choose the next assignment. It would have been easier to take a job in my area of expertise. Instead, I chose a job totally outside of my technical comfort zone. This gave me an opportunity to stretch and grow, which will inevitably prepare me to face even bigger challenges down the road.
So become greater!
-When you are tested, your endurance grows even stronger.
-Challenges are opportunities to grow.
-Perseverance through tough times leads to greatness.