Inspiration and Life

The Best Way to Deal With Difficulties

The encouragement needed to deal with difficulties

Have you had many difficulties in life? If not, consider yourself fortunate, although you may wish to reconsider your definition of the word!

You would not be alive today were it not for difficulties. Every human being is born into difficulty and, for a time, is utterly dependent on others to survive. As you age, you will experience sickness, even if it is only a cold. You will have challenges throughout school and afterward in your work. And that is to mention nothing about strained relationships and losing loved ones.

Difficulties fill the lives of every person, rich or poor, king or pauper. It is the cornerstone of that building you are assembling called life.

There is only one way to escape difficulty, and that is through death. As one of our country’s founders wrote:

“Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

While it is a great idiom from ol’ Ben, he knew there was far more to life. Read his other writings, and you will agree.

Let’s discuss the difficulties of life. What difficulties exactly? All of them! We will use a broad definition of difficulty, meaning anything hard to accomplish, deal with, or understand in any situation life throws at us. It could be as simple as stubbing your toe or something as complex as recovering from a financial crisis or serious illness.

The good side of difficulties

“Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity.” J. Sidlow Baxter (1903–1999)

Difficulties impact everyone’s life for good reason. It is through difficulty we live, grow, learn, and mature. Our lives are forged through difficulty making us who we become. Because of difficulties, we survive, prosper, become responsible, and provide for our families.

It is through difficulties we obtain material goods and wealth. Can you think of anything in life that does not come to us through, from, or because of difficulty?

Without difficulties, how would we know what was good, and how could we ever improve? Because of challenges in life, great inventions are created, making life better for everyone. Without difficulty, mankind would stop growing and would soon meet its end.

Think about the difficulties of our early ancestors. One of their greatest struggles was survival. They had to find food and shelter through hardship, a challenge almost nonexistent in many parts of the world today.

“The difficulties and struggles of today are but the price we must pay for the accomplishments and victories of tomorrow.” William J. H. Boetcker (1873–1962)

One of our greatest difficulties today is not having internet access! Or maybe your cell phone signal is a little on the weak side. How times have changed!

“We have inherited new difficulties because we have inherited more privileges.” Abram L. Sachar (1899–1993)

Dealing with difficulties

It is how you deal with difficulties that matters most to the outcome of your life. What is your attitude when faced with a problem? Do you dread it, try to run from it, or attempt to hide?

How is your method of dealing with difficulties working for you so far?

Since difficulties are inevitable, why not pay attention to how you respond to them? Find another way to deal with them. Develop a different attitude toward them.

From experience, whenever a difficulty arises, unless my life is threatened (which has happened but is very rare for most people), I stop to breathe deeply and slowly. I take time to regain my composure.

Once I calm down, the difficulties are often nowhere near as problematic as they first appeared. I purposely try not to react. When you react quickly, your amygdala is in control, a lower form of intelligence known as the reptilian brain. When you take time to respond, you give the rational part of your brain, the neocortex, time to kick in.

By giving yourself time, you allow the emotional rush to subside. You are then ready to ask yourself a few questions to sort out the difficulty. Ask yourself:

• How serious is it now?
• How much will it matter a year from now?
• What do I choose to do about it?
• What is the opportunity in this difficulty?

“What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity.” J. Sidlow Baxter (1903–1999)

Benefiting from difficulties

What good can difficulties bring in life? Plenty! Let’s look at a few ways they can benefit us.

Because of difficulties:

• Childbirth brings forth life
• School and societal norms lead us to get an education
• We grow in stature into an adult
• We mature throughout our life
• Our life as an individual is shaped
• Our work leads to competence
• We discover happiness and joy
• We desire relationships that give us life
• We find an abundance of opportunities
• Our character develops
• Life becomes worth living
• We find meaning in life
• We grow spiritually
• We come to God

We also learn to:

• Be responsible
• How to lead
• Limits and boundaries
• How to go beyond expectations
• Appreciate life and other people
• Our true selves
• How to live, survive, and thrive

What additional thoughts come to mind that you would want to add to this list? I would love to hear them from you in the comment section below.

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.” Albert Einstein (1879–1955)

Final thoughts

Become thankful for the difficulties you face in life.

You will have difficulties, so why not face them with a good attitude? Learn from them. Use them to grow in wisdom. Use them to create a better life for yourself and those you love.

Face them head-on, seeking the opportunities they provide. Never wish for fewer difficulties; instead, be strengthened by those that come your way.

In closing, I leave you with some wisdom from a great philosopher to consider as you continue your journey through life.

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.” Jim Rohn (1930–2009)

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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