Setema Gali's Official Blog

How To Turn Your Challenges and Obstacles Into Power

Posted on 04. Aug, 2010 by Setema Gali in Adversity, Creator, Prosperity

Feel like you're constantly pushing against a rock that won't move?

Life is going to deal harsh moments. And one of the most important SKILLS we can gain is to learn in life is how to turn those “harsh” moments into POWER!

I remember playing football for my Alma Mater B.Y.U. and I faced some harsh moments…obstacles as we call them.

Not 1, not 2 and not 3…but 5 shoulder surgeries. Yes…football is a collision sport and very dangerous .

I suffered a fractured leg, two pulled groins (and if you’ve ever pulled your groin…it hurts like a @#$#%)

I experienced memory loss in a 20 minute black out concussion at Arizona State. I couldn’t remember the whole weekend.

My back is a whole story in and of itself.

These “obstacles” forced me to take a good look at who I really was and who I was trying to become.

Instead of viewing them as “obstacles” I knew I needed to find a way to use it as fuel.

So I began studying people who experienced MASSIVE frustration and headaches. I guarantee life is going to deal you major heartache, frustration and harsh moments if it hasn’t already (divorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, loss of a loved one, tragic accident) and the BEST thing you can do is turn those moments into beautiful stepping stones.

This is how I did it and do it today.

1. Understand there is a bigger picture than what your physical eyes can see

Wouldn’t it be great if you could look back and see how ALL the obstacles you had  and faced were actual blessings in disguise. Seriously! The bigger picture is that we each have more of a mission on earth than we think and if we knew we had purpose, mission and calling on earth wouldn’t that drastically affect the way we took on obstacles.

SOCIAL PROOF AND CASE STUDY-So in football you condition your body through running crazy hills, sprints, stairs and all types of lung-burning muscle cramping exercises.

Is it really fun? Um…well…yeah, not really. But the fact is this…if your goal in football is to WIN (which it is) then you MUST go through all that weight lifting, that running, that swimming, that conditioning, the film and the “harsh” moments training the body to compete at a high level to accomplish your goal.

So what is your goal in life? Is it to just be stagnant and the same? If it is you’re kidding yourself. As I’ve heard from many leaders today “If you’re not progressing and growing and moving forward you’re moving backwards and digressing and dying.

My injuries put me on a path to win the Super Bowl...how's that for blessing in disguise?

Happiness comes when we serve other people, grow ourselves to new heights and levels and progress through life.

Tony Robbins said “Life is about progression. When we progress and grow we find fulfillment and happiness.”

If your goal in life is to be fulfilled and make a difference…find wealth and create happy moments…THEN every obstacle you face will become “weight lifting” and “conditioning.” They will help you develop attributes that are much needed in today’s world such as patience, kindness, love, character, courage, humility and perseverance.

The obstacles and harsh moments will take you to “collegiate” and even “professional” levels of “life.” Humility and true learning will take place IF you see it for what it really is.

After all TRUTH is “knowledge of things are they really are.”D&C93:24

So stop whining and playing the pity cards…because frankly…no one really cares about your sob story.

“What we cannot see is WAY MORE POWERFUL than what we can see.” Doug Nielsen

2.  Use the Obstacles for Fuel

If you’ve ever seen a rocket leave earths atmosphere it’s quite amusing. Almost ALL of the fuel is used to break the earths gravitational pull.

Now can you imagine trying to fill up your rocket with gas from the local gas station? It wouldn’t work. There are certain types of fuel that work more effectively and efficiently depending on the vehicle or ship or person.

Some people face “harsh moments” and sit down and get sad. Some people get angry at the world. Some people just plain “settle” and think that’s how it’s going to be for the rest of their life.

What if…now stay with me on this…what if you learned how to use all of your harsh moments as FUEL to propel you to new and powerful breakthroughs?

When I suffered my shoulder surgeries at B.Y.U. I was very discouraged but something inside of me kept repeating itself and this is what it was”but we glory in tribulations, also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience, and experience hope.” Romans 5:3-4

This scripture along with the story of the donkey helped me tremendously. In a nutshell a donkey falls into a deep pit. The owner knowing there was no way possible to lift the donkey out of the whole just decides to bury the donkey. But with each shovel of dirt sent to bury the animal the donkey would shake itself of and step up. Eventually the donkey got out of the hole because it would shake itself off and step up.

Learning how to USE your frustration and tribulation as FUEL will not only save you headaches but create favorable conditions to prosper.

When life deals you harsh moments…shake yourself off and step up. When tragedy strikes…use it to focus in. Remember in the classic Rocky sages with Sylvester Stallone? He uses ever moment to push himself physically to train and prepare to win. Can you do the same? You should!

Using moments for fuel requires a paradigm shift and an honest evaluation of questions like:

What can I learn from this right now?

What can I help right now?

How can I help others who are going through similar problems?

What attributes can I develop?

What weaknesses must be made strong through this?

If you are willing…the answers will be made known and your obstacles, your “harsh” moments will become fuel to move you past your current level of living whether it be financial, relationships, health  and skills.

From my most difficult moments I have developed a sense of gratitude, humility, patience and vision…vision that can only be developed through the fire of refinement.

So…how do you use your obstacles and tribulations?

What do you do not to just ‘get by’ but to THRIVE and BECOME in your difficult moments?

Let me know in the comments section. Thanks in advance.

P.S. Share this with your friends on facebook…they will love you for it and for sure could probably use the reminder.

Welcome and embrace life’s challenges. Sometimes it’s helpful to reflect on how other people successfully handled similar challenges. In my day job, I’m a web applications developer and there are times I want to pull my hair out while trying to make a program behave a certain way but I remind myself that for every problem there is a solution.  It’s not just a saying, it’s true.

Cut it down to size. It helps to keep perspective. Sometimes adversity comes in the form of a perceived insult or slight. You can gain perspective by asking you what part you played in creating the situation.  Stop going over the problem over and over again. Stop the tape loops. Remember a problem was never solved by worrying about it.

Cut it into pieces. If possible, it helps to cut the challenge into pieces. You want to lose weight and you realize that overeating has become a habit.  Change one part of the habit every week.  Start using fat-free milk the first week. Eliminate sweet snacks the second week. Increase fresh vegatables and fruit in the third week. You get the idea.  Bite size habits are easier to change.

Accept what you cannot change. There are some things you just can’t change.  Your ex got the house in a divorce.  You can’t change this (but you don’t have to drive by the house on your way to work either).  The Serenity Prayer can be helpful:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference

When one door closes another will open. It’s important to find the silver lining in everything that we do.  Realize that at times it will appear that nothing good can come out of a particular situation. My experience has been even when situations appear to be hopeless that they always eventually resolve to the good.

Learn and apply to other parts of your life. Each time we overcome a small part of adversity in our life that experience becomes available to us and can be applied to other challenges.  For instance, people who have given up drinking are frequently better equipped to give up smoking.  Do not worry about giving up all your bad habits at once — usually taking them one at a time is more effective and lasting.

Don’t try to do it all yourself. This one is important.  There are many situations where you must accept that you cannot face adversity alone.  Some cases, like addictions to drugs or alcohol, you can only begin a process by admitting that you are powerless to deal with this alone. Seek others who have shared similar problems. Seek professional help especially in the cases of financial, legal and health related issues.

Overcoming adversity involves more then just getting through something.  You might manage to save your house from foreclosure but unless you take steps to make fundamental changes in your finances and how your manage them you may face that same adversity again.

Overcoming adversity is not just a matter of willing yourself through it. In fact it may have been your will that got you into trouble.  Be brutally honest with your own shortcomings and what you need to do to change your life. This doesn’t make you any less of a person. It actually is a sign of greatness when one acknowledges shortcomings and failures — and learns from them. Look at the list of people at the top of the post again and you’ll see why.

Courtesty of Positivefaces.com

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Tags: adversity, hardship, obstacles