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My Perspectives on How To Face, Survive, and Thrive Through Challenges in Life

Updated: 4 hours ago

Are you in despair right now? I want to share with you how I have got through tough times: Times that many people would not have survived, likely through severe depression and consequent suicide attempts. I have also danced with death and come out stronger. Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. This is my Truth.


Some people won’t understand our wins until we show them our wounds. Those who do not face their fears are allowing fears the opportunity to kick their butts. I have learned that our greatest challenge is not the world around us: It's the limitations within us. We can deal with any adversity. If we think that we have a problem, there is in reality no problem.


This article is about how to get through tough moments, and they really are just moments in your life. Nothing lasts forever. Adversity is temporary, transformation is eternal.




Challenges are more than simple lessons, they are transformative powers that serve us in our Soul's evolution. They are a crucible for change. Marianne Williamson wrote that "The challenges we face in life are always lessons that serve our Soul's growth.” Samuel Johnson wrote “Adversity has ever been considered the state in which a man most easily becomes acquainted with himself.” Every challenge, every adversity, contains within it the seeds of untapped opportunity, limitless growth, and transformation. It is the fire that purifies us. There is only one unforgivable sin in life: Not becoming who we truly are: Who we meant to be. William Shakespeare wrote that “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in our Selves.”


We are never alone in the struggles of life. The world, no, the entire Universe, is with us. The Universe speaks to us. We evolve through the way we face and overcome the challenges of life. We use everything to our advantage. Nikola Tesla, the legendary inventor, wrote “I don't need help, I need challenges. The harder, the better. I work best when I'm in a struggle.” Don’t we all? Jalal Ad-Din Rumi wrote “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”


Albert Einstein wrote that “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." Who am I to argue with the greatest scientist of all time, who was also a spiritual Master, who believed in miracles? He wrote that “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.“ I know which way I choose. Jean de la Bruyère wrote that “Out of difficulties grow miracles.”

I have learned that being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is always optional.


The real test of character is having the ability to meet challenges. They give us clarity on who we truly are. Louise L. Hay, the philosopher and spiritual teacher, wrote that “The gateways to wisdom and learning are always open, and more and more I am choosing to walk through them. Barriers, blocks, obstacles, and problems are personal teachers giving me the opportunity to move out of the past and into the Totality of Possibilities.”


People seldom want to walk over you until you lie down. And why would anyone want to lie down, when there is a world of possibility awaiting?


Molière, the greatest of a French authors, wrote that “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”


Timeless insights offer not only comfort but also practical strategies for thriving amidst the trials and tribulations of everyday life. As we explore these enduring philosophies, as well as positive psychology, and the realms of spirituality, we uncover the art of turning adversity into an opportunity for personal growth and inner peace, demonstrating that our responses to external challenges can define the quality of our lives far more than the challenges themselves. We will outgrow our problems. We worry about everything, but what if it all works out?


Lord Byron wrote that “Adversity is the first path to Truth.” Those people who try to send you obstacles because they are subconsciously consumed by the fire of self-hatred will be consumed by the fire itself. It is not our ‘enemies’, who are actually too fearful, like dogs barking at a fox, that send us obstacles and challenges: It is the part of us that loves us the most, our Higher Power, that sends the obstacles to redirect our path to our true calling. Within ourselves, there is an intuitive voice that provides us with all the answers that we need to heal our deepest wounds, to transcend our limitations, to overcome all our obstacles and challenges, and to see where our Soul is longing to go. William Shakespeare wrote “Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.”


Be thrilled with adversity. Mental discipline and tenacity in the face of obstacles are traits that have greatly helped me in both my personal and professional journey thus far. I am also very optimistic by nature, always focus on the positive, and am exhilarated and enthused when faced with adversity. Everybody's life has some mythical quality. I am ecstatic with my new life. We struggle against obstacles, we fight to get to a higher level, and we realise our great unconditional loves. Regardless of the obstacles or hurdles that are ahead of us, regardless of the opponent, regardless of the odds, our goal and objective always is to win, and we do, with bells on.


In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow our anger and our energy into something creative, something positive, something larger.


In our personal and professional lives, we are constantly hit with one adversity after the other, most of which we have no control over. But the four things we have total control over is how we respond, how we evolve, how we breathe, and how we take action. And we do take action, in our own time.


Brené Brown wrote "One day you will tell your story of how you've overcome what you're going through now, and it will become part of someone else's survival guide". This is that guide. All is well my friend.


Christopher Reeve, Superman, wrote “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”


I love when people that have been through 'Hell' walk out of the flames carrying buckets of water for those still consumed by the fire." Here are the buckets of water...

Marianne Williamson wrote that "The challenges we face in life are always lessons that serve our Soul's growth.
Marianne Williamson wrote that "The challenges we face in life are always lessons that serve our Soul's growth.

I understood that challenges are the touchstone of spiritual progress

Pain in life is inevitable. Suffering is optional. But if we do suffer, we can say to ourselves that all suffering is temporary, whereas growth, as a result of suffering, is permanent. Our Higher Power will always be found in our darkest cave, as well as a lantern, as will our greatest treasure. The obstacle is the way. The only way out is through. Turn your wounds into wisdom. We are braver than we believe, stronger than we seem, and smarter than we think. Helen Keller said that "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."


The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way. Just as Nature takes every obstacle, every impediment, and works around it—turns it to its purposes, incorporates it into itself—so, too, a rational being can turn each setback into raw material and use it to achieve its goal. Embrace the challenges of today, for they are the stepping stones to a stronger tomorrow. Flow around the rocks like water. Be the water, not the rock. The stream gushes through the rocks and terrains to meet the river and merge into the ocean. Similarly, move through the obstacles and become one with the unfathomable love and Truth of God. The great philosopher Epictetus wrote that “The true man is revealed in difficult times. So when trouble comes, think of your Self as a wrestler whom God, like a trainer, has paired with a tough young buck. For what purpose? To turn you into Olympic-class material.”


Beneath anxiety, fear, stress, and anger, there is something beautiful waiting to arise and be transformed. The reason for suffering is not to suffer. It's to go beyond the suffering and touch your infinite and indestructible Self. Storms will come and go, but mountains remain. They may be shaped, carved, and eroded over time, yet they stand tall, embracing change as part of their existence. Strength is not about resisting change, but enduring it with Grace. Elisabeth Kubler Ross, the brilliant psychiatrist who described the stages of grief, said "Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms, you would never see the true beauty of their carvings." If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. Walt Disney wrote “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realise it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” Sai Baba wrote “Man learns through experience, and the spiritual path is full of different kinds of experiences. He will encounter many difficulties and obstacles, and they are the very experiences he needs to encourage and complete the cleansing process (of the fearful ego)


I was wary of one-liner spiritual solutions

Being told simply to ‘be present’, or to recite a mantra, or a ‘document’ are all very well and good, but spirituality is not a one-liner. Did Buddha, Jesus, or Carl Jung, all spiritual Masters, write only one piece of advice? Does the Bible or the Big Book of the 12 steps have only one sentence? If you are going to have a one-liner, at least make it funny!


I learned that emotional pain and obstacles are not just lessons

Emotional pain and challenges are often described as ‘lessons.’ But, in my experience they are much more than this: They are the key to our transformation. We need guides, not teachers. Every journey is unique, tailor-made, and we must walk our own path, otherwise it gets crowded with followers who uncritically accept the ideas, beliefs, or actions of others without questioning, insouciantly, thoughtlessly, heedlessly, indiscriminately, and unthinkingly, or considering their own thoughts or opinions in a bandwagon with a herd mentality.


Sharing our emotions with other during times of adversity halves our emotional pain. It is ok to 'cry like a man.' Crying is so cathartic and leads to deep healing.


I saw that no-one is going to die

I remind myself daily, as Julian of Norwich said, that ‘All is well’ and that “All shall be well” and that I can trust the process of transformation. Our ego, our reptilian survival brain, evolved over three hundred thousand years as hunter-gatherers to be ready for an attack from wild animals. Any lion that we encounter now is invisible and doesn’t exist. We are ok and we will be ok. We are not going to die from any challenge.


I was suspicious of spiritual teachers who say that they had a spontaneous spiritual awakening and did not need to go through challenges

Buddha, Moses, and Jesus suffered terribly before they were fully awakened spiritually. Saying that we just sat in a corner and saw flashing lights and suddenly we were awakened is just not credible. Why do these people either lie about their awakening or lie about the trauma that they faced for it to be catalysed? It makes us feel inferior because we needed pain, adversity, or addiction to wake us up. We ALL need pain to awaken. And we are not inferior because we all struggled through that pain. Even Jesus said on the cross, according to Psalm 22:1 "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 


You don’t wake up because of an addiction to strawberries or CDs (sorry Gabor Maté – I do absolutely love your writing, but is there something that you are not telling us?) I love Richard Bayer who wrote ‘A Changed Mind: Go Beyond Self Awareness, Rewire Your Brain and Engineer Your Reality’, which is in my ‘Suggested Reading’ list, as he was totally open and honest and declared his sex and love addiction in his book and his need for a 12 step recovery programme. His exemplary courage, openness, and vulnerability is a rarity. The ‘Big Book’ of the 12 step programme is the most concise book on spiritual awakening that has ever been written, with 164 pages in the main text. It is largely unchanged since the first edition was published in 1939, due to the many timeless Truths that are contained explicitly within its pages.


I was wary of endless quotes about Stoic philosophy telling me to be an invincible Stoic

I have read endless quotes in articles about Stoic philosophy and they are fine: But we shouldn’t chastise ourselves for not living like that at all times. No-one does. Some spiritual seekers have said that they keep Marcus Aurelius’ book ‘Meditations’ on their ‘night-stand.’ That is fine, and many other books are also worth having in easy reach. We all relapse into ego and fear on a daily basis. You can ignore other quotes about 'pushing through' pain, 'hustling', being 'resilient', or 'persistent'. Life is a daily process of choosing to be connected to our Higher Self and to use the tools available to us, including prayer if we feel so inclined, meditation (which is our superpower - more on this below with regards to intuition), and being vulnerable, open, and honest with other people who love us unconditionally. This is the spiritual path: It’s a journey from egocentric fear to our Higher Power. These are some of the tools that I use on a daily basis as part of my spiritual practice, among others.


I ignored the’ influencers’, ‘life-hack’ pedlars, and the ‘self-help’ junkies

I have read so many articles by people, mainly internet ‘influencers’ (the only people they influence are themselves and other unquestioning people), who hide behind a fake mask, and are replete with ego and falsity, about ‘life-hacks’, ‘self-help’, and how to make £10K per month to overcome our challenges. You can guarantee that they have been written by people who have never made £10K per month, otherwise why are they spending all day on social media? There is no shortcut to facing life’s challenges. The long road is always the high road. Transformation is a lifelong journey.


I came to know that I can overcome any challenge when I believe that I can handle it

I can overcome any challenge when I believe that I can handle it. This is when I collect positive thoughts, which lead to positive emotions, which lead to positive actions, and thence to positive results, even if we don’t get the result we expected. This is how I avoid collecting negative experiences, as I would bad photos in an album, in a feedback loop, which would reinforce my negative beliefs about what I am capable or incapable of. This process literally rewires your brain, rapidly, with synaptic pruning of our previous hard-wired negative thought processes, erasing them from our neurocircuitry. This leads to us becoming Self-aware and re-engineers our reality. Henry Ford famously said that “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right." Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote that "The only limit to our realisation of tomorrow is our doubts of today." Have limitless beliefs a instead of limiting beliefs and you will turn your brain into a supercomputer. Theodore Roosevelt said “Believe you can and you're halfway there."


Steve Maraboli wrote that “Happiness is not the absence of problems; it's the ability to deal with them.” Roy T. Bennet wrote “Be the kind of person who dares to face life's challenges and overcome them rather than dodging them.” If you saturate your mind with positive thoughts, it will sustain you in any situation. Bette Davis said that “The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he's dead.” We can master life and learn the art of handling everything.


I realised that the Universe never sends us any challenge that we can't deal with

The Universe only sends its toughest soldiers into battle, and never to fight a battle that we can't be victorious in. This suggests that challenges are presented to us based on our strength and ability to overcome them. It implies that even the most difficult obstacles are meant to be conquered, not to cause defeat. This idea is often used in a spiritual context, suggesting that difficult situations are a test of character and an opportunity for growth. He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior. Amit Ray wrote that “Life throws challenges and every challenge comes with rainbows and lights to conquer it.”


If we are ever faced with a choice during a challenge where we are not sure of what to do next

In this situation, simply ask the question "What would love do now?" This will always give you the optimal guidance. William Godwin wrote “ Love conquers all difficulties, surmounts all obstacles, and effects what to any other power would be impossible.”


If we have suffered trauma, reconnecting with our bodies is the path to healing

Dr Peter Levine, one of the world experts on trauma, says that "All trauma is preverbal", suggesting that our reactions during adult stress are based on historical events in our early childhoods, and not on what is happening now. Childhood trauma makes you disconnect from your body. A traumatised nervous system never gets to unfreeze. Reconnecting with your body is part of the healing process. This reduces suffering and even disease. We reunite with the severed parts of our Selves. Trauma also splits us off from gut feelings. Healing allows us to reconnect with our feelings, which leads to our authenticity. The neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp once said “We have feeIings because they tell us what supports our survival and what distract us from survival.” I reconnect with my body by doing yoga, which is part of my daily spiritual practice. This is recommended in ‘The Body Keeps The Score’ by Bessel van der Kolk and also ‘The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture’ by Gabor Maté, both books being in my ‘Suggested Reading’ list. 


I allowed myself to be liberated from all fears: This makes us powerful beyond measure, yet humble

As Marianne Williamson wrote, a quote often misattributed to Nelson Mandela “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing Enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Be humble, for becoming nobody, is really somebody, be open to those who we love unconditionally, and fearless. We can be host to God, or hostage to the ego. Adversity will make a humble God out of us.


I have learned that the Universe is alive and wants our highest good in all challenges 

Many tears have lined the paths of Saints. The healing of our depression during challenges is to remember who we truly are. The ego is vigilant to try to make us forget. The anxiety and anguish this forgetting causes is the meaning of the word ‘Hell’. The remembering of our true Self is the meaning of the word ‘Heaven.’ These are not places in an afterlife: These are states of mind on Earth in this life. I face the gates of ‘Hell’ and smile, and have come to realise that evil doesn't really exist. Libba Bray wrote “What if evil doesn't really exist? What if evil is something dreamed up by man, and there is nothing to struggle against except out own limitations? The constant battle between our will, our desires, and our choices?”


As it says in the Bog Book of the 12 steps, we face “The gates of ‘Hell’ so that we can walk among the living”. For me ‘Heaven’ is when we do the right thing, and ‘Hell’ is when we don’t. The Universe keeps us above the emotional waterline. If I align my Self with the natural intelligence of the Universe that gives me fortitude. It gives us the strength to endure all hardships and overcome all challenges. The Universe works like a GPS: Even if we take a wrong turn, the GPS will simply recalibrate and provide another route through adversity. The destination on the GPS is inner peace. Tough times occur, but they cannot last, as long as we choose love. On our darkest night, the 'Dark Night of our Soul', there is no doubt that dawn will come. In ‘A Course In Miracles’ it states that “Nothing real can be threatened; nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.” Aligning ourselves with Universal intelligence is the most intelligent that we can possibly do. Everything that causes us to suffer is happening in a veil of illusion created by the ego. As Albert Einstein said “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” All suffering is happening is in this veil of illusion. The ego’s survival is our destruction. The ego wants us dead. But love dissolves the ego. As we evolve, grow, and transform, we get to the place where love, and love only, is the only reality. 


I remember the speech by William Shakespeare "To be, or not to be"


Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep

No more; and by a sleep, to say we end

The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks

That Flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,

To sleep, perchance to dream...


While the phrase "To die to be reborn" (as Shakespeare wrote "To die, to sleep, perchance to dream") resonates with the idea of spiritual transformation and new life, Jesus did not explicitly state it in that exact form. Instead, the Bible speaks of being "born again" as a spiritual awakening through Faith, not reincarnation. This concept is a metaphor for spiritual renewal, not a physical death and rebirth. "To be, or not to be", in other words our BEing, through transformation and spiritual rebirth, is the answer. For this, as we do the inner work, we are like midwives to the birth of our true Selves.


Zig Ziglar wrote that "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." From BEing springs our doing. And the doing overcomes all adversity, as Shakespeare says “A sea of troubles”: It is the place of dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt said that "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Shakespeare wrote "Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them: To die, to sleep." And as we awaken from that sleep, who we are, our true Selves, can overcome all. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ever notice how the voice of doubt gets louder right before you do something new? It’s not a sign to stop. It’s a sign you’re about to grow. The ego is terrified of dissolution - it’s voice of doubt screams when we are facing challenges so that we can live out our true calling, our spiritual blueprint, our divine DNA. As Epictetus said “First say to yourself what you would BE; and then do what you have to do.” We are human BEings, not human doings.


I overcame the fear that I was not enough as a result of the shame that came from my childhood trauma

Trauma is what happens inside ourselves. The good news is that it therefore gives us an opportunity to heal. The emotion and experience of shame, as a result of trauma scars, gives us, as the psychologist Gersten Koffman writes, “A piercing awareness of ourselves as fundamentally deficient in some vital way as a human being.” This means that we don’t think that we can overcome challenges, as we believe that we are not enough. Shame is a form of self-hatred. We are very conscious of this. We have a lack of Self-compassion. The more severe that shame, the more total that loss. I got over shame through compassion for myself. This has been helped by the compassion of others that I have met along my journey. Their compassion has fuelled mine and this dowsed the flames of shame. This allows me to surmount challenges as I believe that I am worthy and that, like Nike, that I can “Just do it.” I feel the fear and do it anyway.


I have learned to practice acceptance

On 417 of the ‘Big Book' it states “And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation - some fact of my life - unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in God’s world by mistake. (Unless) I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.”


It has been said that insanity is thinking that we control the world - we don't: The Universe does.


I choose victory over victimhood, response rather than reaction, and courage over fear

Insisting on identifying yourself as a victim impedes all growth, evolution, and transformation. Response flexibility is limited as a result of trauma. Response flexibility is the ability to choose how we address challenges. The psychologist Rollo May said that “Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between stimulus and response. And in that pause to choose the one response towards which we wish to throw our weight. Trauma robs us of that freedom.” I get over this by choosing vulnerability and victory over victimhood, and by taking time to respond rather than react.


Paulo Coelho wrote “When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”



Through challenges I have put my house in order, which has allowed me to overcome those challenges

Challenges give us an opportunity to put our house in order. Or, as it says in the 12 steps, we can clear the wreckage of our past and we only need to keep our side of the street clean. It is not for anyone else to ask you to keep your side of the street clean. They should only work on theirs. As Leonard Cohen said  “You have a chance to put your house in order. It's a cliche, but it's underestimated as an analgesic on all levels. Putting your house in order, if you can do it, is one of the most comforting activities, and the benefits of it are incalculable.”


It is vital during times of adversity be gentle with our Selves

It is important during times of adversity and challenge to be kind to our Selves, gentle with our Selves, forgiving towards our Selves, and to be unconditionally loving with our Selves. We must learn to be our own best friend and to treat our Selves as such. This Self-compassion works miracles in how we approach the world.


I realised that it’s not about us, it’s about them

If someone tries to trip us up or criticise us, it’s never about us: It’s about them. It's not a me issue, it's a you issue. This is the psychological process called ‘projection.’ We don’t owe them anything, either financially or in terms of amends. It is not for us to carry their emotional baggage, just because they have not done any of the inner work required to heal and be able to carry it themselves or to resolve it. If they took time to do the necessary inner spiritual work then they would not be so dissatisfied with their lives, they would stop projecting on others and stop looking outside for joy. Carl Jung wrote that during challenges “The world will ask you who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you.” Most people don’t know anything about you or who they truly are themselves. So they project what they most dislike in themselves onto you. This was described by Carl Jung as ‘projection’, which is a very real psychological phenomenon. This is the domain of internet trolls, tabloid hacks, and gossip-junkies. It impresses the importance of you finding out who you are, so that you can tell them, or even better, so that you are so Self-assured that you don’t even feel the need to tell them. What people think of you is none of their business and it’s none of your business either - simply ignore the background noise. It’s just static. The key is to take ownership of your identity and to ‘know thyself’.


Carl Jung wrote that “Thinking is difficult, that’s why most people judge.” It is only for God to judge: No-one else. Judging requires no wisdom or brainpower. Judgement is an addiction. Judgement is the antithesis of compassion, which is what the world needs more than ever. We are stuck in a pandemic of judgement right now. Why don’t you try giving it a rest if your brain is not up to it? It’s a persecutor mentality masquerading as a victim. Just leave the drama behind. The reality is far more complex. People are unique, with different stories and motivations. Judging shuts down the possibility of genuine connection and understanding. And it’s pretty dumb.


Our inner critic, by default, agrees with people who criticise us as it evolved during our childhood when we were conditioned by our parents and society. We are not responsible for other people’s emotional baggage load of emotional pain. We are only responsible for our own emotional pain. We let go of Self-blame. The great philosopher Epictetus wrote that “Common and vulgar people ascribe all ills that they feel to others; people of little wisdom ascribe to themselves; people of much wisdom, to no-one.“ He continued that “To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete.” Those who criticise us have skeletons bursting out of their closets. Ignore them. Zig Ziegler wrote “Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember - the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.” Does that sound familiar? Norman Vincent Peale wrote “Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you (or they) think they have.


Toxic, lost, fearful people who try to send you obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them, they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight, like the snakes that they are. Let the dead leaves drop. They will rot.



Emile Zola wrote "We are like books. Most people only see our cover, the minority read only the introduction, many people believe the critics. Few will know our content."


I believe in me and that has allowed me to overcome challenges

Muhammad Ali said “It's lack of Faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in my Self.” I now know my inherent Self-worth, and, as Marianne Williamson says, "You are an innocent child of God."


During adversity we can choose who we become

Carl Jung wrote that “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” This has been known for millennia - that you are free to choose your destiny. And more recently that by changing your beliefs and thinking you can completely alter your psychology. A tough childhood, a painful breakup, loss of a career - it’s easy to get stuck and define your Self by what happened. You can’t change the hand you are dealt, but can choose how to play the cards. And with a spiritual approach to life, you hold all the aces. Focus on what you can control - your thoughts, actions, and reactions. It’s a is a powerful shift in defining your true north. By challenging your negative thought patterns you can choose who to become. Or rather, you can remember who you were before your parents and society got to you with their conditioning.


I do a challenge workout to prepare my Self for challenges

Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity. As Marianne Williamson said “We can hone our attitudinal muscles much like we hone our physical muscles, training ourselves to think in ways that deflect fear and negativity. We can release a thought system based on fear and accept a thought system based on love instead.”


I now know that 'This too shall pass"

The saying 'This too shall pass' is believed to be based on a Persian adage passed down throughout time and made famous in 1852 with Edward Fitzgerald’s “Solomon’s Seal”. The fable retold by FitzGerald usually involved a nameless "Eastern monarch". Its origin has been traced to the works of Persian Sufi poets, such as Rumi, Sanai, and Attar of Nishapur. Attar records the fable of a powerful King who asks assembled wise men to create a ring that would make him happy when he was sad. After deliberation the sages hand him a simple ring with the Persian words "This too shall pass" etched on it, which had the desired effect.


Philosopher Voltaire used a similar mantra in his book, 'Candide': "Tout passera." It’s French for ‘everything passes’. When life feels unbearable, remember what you feel is temporary. It keeps me sane.


The Stoics, like Marcus Aurelius, taught that change is the nature of life. He saw everything as temporary. “The Universe is change; life is opinion,” he wrote. To him, nothing deserved total despair. The idea goes back centuries. Ancient philosophers, poets, and spiritual leaders all spoke of it. Buddhists taught it. “Attachment is the root of all suffering,” Buddha said. Acceptance, like non-resistance, is a superpower and it is the answer to all of our problems. Our suffering is calculated by the spiritual equation pain suffering equals pain times resistance. Realise deeply that there are no difficulties in life, only imagined ones.


“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like,” notes spiritual teacher Lao Tzu, who wrote 'The Tao Te Ching".


If I ever get a tattoo it will be "This too shall pass" as it is a spiritual Truth that everyone must live by. Nothing lasts forever, nothing. We come to know that everything heals.


I face challenges from a place of presence

Presence is a state of inner spaciousness. There is power in presence. When I am present, I ask: How do I respond to the needs of this situation, or of this moment? In fact, I don't even need to ask the question. I am still, alert, and open to what is. Presence brings a new dimension into the situation: Space. Then I look and listen. Thus, we become one with the situation. When, instead of reacting against a situation we merge with it, the solution arises out of the situation itself. Actually, it is not me, the person, who is looking and listening, but the alert stillness itself. Then, if action is possible or necessary, I take action or, rather, the right action happens through me. Right action is action that is appropriate to the whole. When the action is accomplished, the alert, spacious, and stillness remain. 


Jesus said about presence that “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.”


I have the gift of choice in any situation

This really is a gift. For me it’s two choices - the first one, about doing the right thing, is when I wake up every day and, through prayer and meditation, I can choose either to be my ego or to make conscious contact with my Higher Power. Our ego, our fear, which is the language of the ego, and our spiritual dis-ease, all tell me that I don’t have a choice and that the only answer is to remain in egocentric fear. The other choice we have is to make a decision to only have empowering beliefs as opposed to our limited beliefs. Positive beliefs lead to thoughts, thoughts lead to emotions, which lead to actions, and then results. By doing the inner work I now have the Self-assurance to make these choices and therefore to get positive results. Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new centre of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a new way to stand. We always have a choice. It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.


We can learn to 'fall upward'

It is only by falling that we can rise. Carl Jung wrote that “The first half of life is devoted to forming a healthy ego, the second half is going inward and letting go of it.” Challenge precipitates the second half of our life. I have found this to be so true. Let that ego go! It’s the only thing that is holding you back. And as Father Richard Rohr says, there is skill in ‘falling upward’. As life progresses, our focus changes. Our need for ego-driven pursuits may lessen. We may start questioning our priorities, seeking meaning beyond external validation. It’s about a shift in focus. You can become less concerned with external validation - promotions, possessions, status - and more focused on inner growth, connection, and contribution. You own your experience, wisdom, and accomplishments without needing external validation. By integrating your ego with your deeper Self, you create a more balanced and fulfilling life. True fulfilment is often in the second half of our lives, as we learn to let go and take ownership of who we truly are.


I now face challenges from a place of peace

Peace reminds me of the quote in the Bible from Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts”. Living from my heart is inner peace. For me peace is one of the three emotions that I seek - the other two are joy and love. With these I can be happy, joyous, and free during any adversity and can endure anything. William Butler Yeats wrote that “Joy is of the will which labours, which overcomes obstacles, which knows triumph.”


I know who walks beside me: I have Faith

Dr Wayne Dyer said "If you knew who walked beside you at all times on the path that you have chosen, you could never experience fear or doubt again." This quote suggests to me that recognising the presence of a Higher Power or guiding force eliminates worry and doubt. It implies that having Faith and awareness of a divine presence can lead to inner peace and confidence in my journey as I face obstacles. Faith is the power of miracles.


Sometimes we bring to a struggle or cause the gifts we see most clearly, a courage, a strength, or a charm others have told us we have. But often we find more is asked of us than that, more than we intended or thought we possessed. We are asked to offer that which we thought dearest, to forgive what seemed unpardonable, to face what we feared the most and endure it. Sometimes we have to travel to the last step a path that was not of our own choosing. But I promise you this... It will lead to a greater joy in the end. The difficulty is that the end is beyond our sight, it is a matter of Faith, not of knowledge. 2 Corinthians 4:18 states "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Jesus said “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Saint Augustine said "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this Faith is to see what you believe." Challenges arrive to test your Faith and expand your limitless potential. It doesn’t matter what’s coming at us. God defeated it before it ever left wherever it was coming from. God brings us to our knees so that we may pray. In Hebrews 13:6 it states “Let your Faith be bigger than your fears.” Swami Vivekananda wrote “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual.  There is no other spiritual teacher than you own Soul.”



When we surrender to the Universe, and realise our powerlessness without it, is the beginning of Real Personal Power. Let go of control, it is the opposite of Faith. Surrender to the Universe. Elbert Hubbard wrote “God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.” C. S. Lewis said that “Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties.”


Faith is, like Carl Jung, how we come to know God. In the Bible, in Matthew 6:33, Jesus says "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Jesus indicates, in Matthew 7:7-8, that we must make conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation, saying "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock."Jalal Ad-Din Rumi echoed “Knock, And He'll open the door. Vanish, And He'll make you shine like the sun. Fall, And He'll raise you to the Heavens. Become nothing, And He'll turn you into everything.” Amen.


I motivate my Self with challenges

We will only stop have challenges when we are dead. I motivate my Self with challenges. That's how I know that I am still alive. The term ‘Amor Fati’ means to love your fate. Bless every event as though you had wished for it.


I don’t don’t carry resentments

I don’t resent anyone. I let go of this burning coal as I know that it will only burn me. As Oscar Wilde wrote “Love your enemies - nothing will annoy them more.” Even when life challenges us, it's a gift beyond all measure. Forgiveness is freedom. So, to all those who have tried to hurt me, thank you.


I rely on my courage

It takes courage to endure the sharp pains of Self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives. It’s like taking out a thorn from your finger: There is a short sharp pain that lasts a moment, as opposed to a protracted pain if you leave it in. Our courage enables us to overcome our fears: Fear is the mind-killer.


I let go of outcomes when facing challenges

I take intuitive action from a place of presence then let go. The outcome is what it is. I don’t judge. A yes is the same as a no. And then I take the next right action. I know that this "This too shall pass" All challenges are temporary. Transformation is permanent. One you wake up you can’t go back to sleep. Jimmy Dean said that "I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."


I realise deeply that I can rise in the face of obstacles

Times are tumultuous and obstacles and adversities are plenty. I realise that everything negative - adversity and challenges - are all an opportunity for me to rise. They are my doing, not my undoing. The great philosopher Seneca said that “No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove him Self.” He continued “I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent— no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you. For we are naturally disposed to admire more than anything else the man who shows fortitude in adversity.” What are you made of?


It’s never the external situation, it’s how I digest it and how I handle it. We have power over our minds – not outside events. If we realise this, we will find strength. I realise that often the solution that I think of when I react is actually the problem. Whenever I can, I respond in my own time. And then the solution that comes is the solution. Epictetus wrote “Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own inner resources. The trails we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths. Prudent people look beyond the incident itself and seek to form the habit of putting it to good use. On the occasion of an accidental event, don’t just react in a haphazard fashion: remember to turn inward and ask what resources you have for dealing with it. Dig deeply. You possess strengths you might not realise you have. Find the right one. Use it.”


I have realised that humility is power

Most people go through life with pride and hubris and it is their downfall. Humility, even as we evolve is true power. The ocean is powerful, as it is lower than the rivers, which all flow down to it.


I use the power of prayer during adversity

Upon wakening, the very first thing that I do, before I even open my eyes, is to pray. Prayer is a form of asking, whereas meditation is hearing God’s intuitive advice. My prayers are not supplicative, but rather prayers of gratitude: It assumes that what one is asking for has already been given. Prayer is the asking, the Holy Spirit is the smartphone to God, and meditation is the response. My daily prayer is the step three prayer:


God, I offer myself to Thee – to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life. May I do Thy will always!


You can also use the 'Golden Key' by Emmet Fox, which I do as part of my morning prayers.


Bill Wilson wrote in 'As Bill Sees It' that "In praying, we ask simply that throughout the day God place in us the best understanding of His will that we can have for that day, and that we be given the Grace by which we may carry it out. There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit. But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakeable foundation for life." We were brought to our knees in order to pray.


I practice meditation when faced with challenges

Meditation really is a superpower. It does many things. It drops me into a place of total presence. It allows me to respond rather than react. It makes me calm, so that I have the clarity, without fear, to know my next right step. Meditation allows us to connect with the intuition of Universal intelligence, an intelligence and wisdom that is far greater than our own. Seneca wrote “To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.”


I listen for the voice of my Higher Power, which is heard as the quiet voice of intuition in the stillness and silence that comes, rather than the loud, brash voice of the ego, which screams in your ear as it is terrified of its dissolution through you developing awareness. Meditation allows me to make the choice to drop my ago and embrace my Higher Power. Stephen Richards wrote that “When you connect to the silence within you, that is when you can make sense of the disturbance going on around you.” Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati wrote “Quiet the mind and the Soul will speak.”



Mindfulness, which is peace in every moment, and is meditation throughout the day, has a scientific basis, like meditation, and both actually cause changes in your brain. Breathwork during meditation helps me to slow down, pause, and respond intelligently. Herman Hesse wrote that “Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”


I look for meaning and purpose in the face of adversity, which guide me to my calling

Challenges lead us to our search for meaning. Purpose and meaning lead us to our true calling in life: Why we born. We are destined for our calling when we are young, but then childhood trauma and a survival need for attachment means that we go to sleep on the divine blueprint for our lives. This remains the case until we are awoken by a challenge in our adult life that awakens us to possibility and to what makes our heart sing. This is how we become a creative, powerful phenomenon with Real Personal Power, in alignment with our Soul's true nature. If we remain asleep, we will only find the meaning and purpose in our lives on our death bed, if at all, which will be our most sincere regret. This is always the case when you ask the dying how they would have lived differently in hindsight. If we have the courage to live a life that is true to our Selves, not the life that others expected of us, we will find joy and peace.


Conflict arises when people who are disingenuous liars pretend to be victims when they in fact persecutors who want to bully, control, and abuse you. The way to deal with them is simply to leave the situation, drop the toxic people from your life, and be present.


I now believe that miracles can overcome every challenge

Marianne Williamson said “No matter what the problem, a miracle can solve it. Remember to ask for one… With every thought we think, we either summon or block a miracle... There is no such thing as a faithless person; we either have Faith in the power of love, or Faith in the power of fear. For Faith is an aspect of consciousness. Have Faith in love, and fear will lose its power over you. Have Faith in forgiveness, and your self-hatred will fall away. Have Faith in miracles, and they will come to you… Imagine the week ahead unfolding in an ever-increasing flow of miracles. Allow the image to sink into your heart. Receive it with a big yes!.. A miracle is a shift in perception from fear to love -from a belief in what is not real, to Faith in that which is. That shift in perception changes everything... Behind every fear, there is a miracle waiting... With every thought we think, we either summon or block a miracle. It is not our circumstances, then, but rather our thoughts about our circumstances, that determine our power to transform them."


Let's forgive the past and who we were then. Let's embrace the present and who we're capable of becoming. Let's surrender the future and watch miracles unfold... In any moment, in any circumstance, a miracle will occur when we align ourselves with Truth... Miracles begin when we consider the possibility that there might be another way... The way of the miracle-worker is to see all human behaviour as one two things: Either love, or a call for love. The Universe is either expressing a miracle or is pregnant with the next one. As we become purer channels for God's light, we develop an appetite for the sweetness that is possible in this world. As miracle workers, we are not geared toward fighting the world that is, but toward creating the world that could be. We imagine the week ahead unfolding in an ever-increasing flow of miracles. We allow the image to sink into our hearts. We receive it with a big yes!” We may find miracles in places that seemed barren and insignificant and even in our darkest of places. That is where we will find our Higher Power and the solution to all challenges.


Marianne Williamson, the great supporter of ‘A Course In Miracles’ (ACIM), said in 'Tears to Triumph' “Consider the possibility now that anything could happen. I’m not asking you to believe this, but only to consider that it might be true. Simply thinking this thought - that miracles are possible - does more to pave the way for your healing than you can imagine. It opens the door to a realm of infinite possibilities, regardless of what you have been through or what you are going through now... Prayer is the medium of miracles." 


ACIM suggests that prayer and meditation are essential in creating miracles “Prayer is a way of asking for something. It is the medium of miracles” and “In quietness are all things answered”, in other words meditation. ACIM continues “The miracle comes quietly into the mind that stops an instant and is still… The Christ in you is very still. He knows where you are going, and He leads you there in gentleness and blessing all the way.”


ACIM states that only love is real and that “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.”


Where there is hate there is no love. ACIM states that “Love holds no grievances.” Those who hate only do so because they cannot love themselves or anyone else.

 

Einstein would agree with the law of cause and effect in ACIM “What you see reflects your thinking, and your thinking but reflects the choice of what you want to see.” So you create your world, based on whether you choose to live from a place of love (‘Heaven’) or fear (‘Hell’).

 

You only have one problem. You have forgotten who you are. You are a limitless BEing, only held back by your fears. ACIM states that “All power is given you in Earth and Heaven. There is nothing that you cannot do.” Catch your Self, realise this, and don't forget who you are.


Marianne Williamson says that 'A Course in Miracle's tells us that although "We think that without the ego, all would be chaos, the opposite is true. Without the ego, all would be love." In her book ‘Tears to Triumph: The Spiritual Journey From Suffering to Enlightenment’ Williamson says that “Miracles are thoughts”. She says that a miracle is a “Shift from identifying with the suffering self (the ego), to a shift to identifying with the spiritual Self (our soul or Higher Power). We replace a mental filter that ensures our pain with a mental filter that delivers us from pain. She says that "Miracles arise from conviction. Be convicted about these things: Miracles can happen. Miracles do happen. Love makes them happen." She adds “A miracle is a shift in perception from fear to love - from a belief in what is not real, to Faith in that which is. That shift in perception changes everything.”


She continues “A miracle changes how we view the world, piercing the veil of illusion that keeps us trapped in pain and suffering. A prayer for a miracle is not a request that the situation be different, but a request that we see it differently. Only when our thoughts are changed will the effects of our thoughts be changed as well: Only when we see beyond the illusions of the world will we be lifted above the sorrow they produce. And what are these illusions? They are the manifestations produced by fear that would hide the face of love. The material world is a vast matrix of illusion created by the mortal mind. The point of spiritual seeking is not just to realise that the world is filled with illusions; however, it is also to realise the ultimate Truth that lies beyond them. To say that the world as we know it is not our ultimate reality is not to say that we do not have an ultimate reality: We do have an ultimate reality, which lies beyond our bodies, beyond our mistakes, and beyond this world at all. We are not all specks of dust, simply short-lived finite imperfect mortal beings with no greater purpose than to grasp pathetically for some happiness before we inevitably suffer and die. And while we hold ourselves hostage to such an insane perception of what it means to be human we are doomed to emotional and mental anguish. Instead we can embrace a deeper Truth that we are spirits, not just bodies. That we are great and glorious BEings on this Earth with great and glorious missions. And having forgotten this we have been cast into an outer Kingdom of pain and despair. Our task then is to find a way back to this nobler vision of who we really are: That the pain of our forgetfulness might cease - our existential pain results from living within a hallucinatory experience and thinking it real the three-dimensional plane of experience is very real to our mortal selves, but something deep within us knows that there is something more. This doesn’t mean that you didn't suffer through this or that human experience but it does mean that the you who suffered through it isn't the real you. As our thoughts are rearranged regarding who we are in relation to the experience, our experience of the experience transforms. This doesn't invalidate our mortal suffering but it validates our capacity to rise above it. The real you is love, unaffected by that which is not love. Your spirit, God's creation, that is your ultimate reality is unalterable and unaffected by the lovelessness of the world. 


The human mind is basically split. Just as part of the mind knows who we are and sees clearly beyond the worldly veil of illusion; part of the mind is delusional and blind. Learning to dismantle the delusional mind, the fear-based ego, is the path of Enlightenment. Just as darkness is cast out by light, fear is cast out by love. The ego is ultimately dissolved and replaced by the mind of spirit, which is love. When our thoughts are not loving we are literally ‘not being ourselves’. Psychically, every loveless thought is an act of self-annihilation. A world that neither recognises the primacy of love nor fosters its expression is a depressing world indeed. Enlightenment, which is infinite compassion, is the only true antidote to our suffering. This cure does not necessarily happen quickly or without deep and even gut-wrenching work. For the world can be hard and our resistance to love can be very strong. But our willingness is everything and God responds fully to our slightest invitation that he helped us see things differently. A spiritual reinterpretation of events gives us miraculous authority to command the winds, to part the waters, and to break all chains that bind us. The power of God cannot and will not fail. We began to feel peace where before we knew agonising anxiety. To feel hope where before we saw no possibility of breakthrough. And to learn to forgive and to feel forgiven. Seeing our lives through a spiritual lens is not a less sophisticated, but a more sophisticated way of interpreting our experience. The love that saves us is not an abstraction or a gooey, wimpy sentimentality. Compassion is the greatest power in the Universe. The pain you are going through is not what will determine your future; your future will be determined by who you are as you go through your pain… Your human self might be in 'Hell' right now, but your divine Self is literally untouched by your suffering. And your divine Self is who you are.”


Conclusions

Wayne Messam wrote “I just want to share with everyone that no matter what challenges, adversities you face in life, that you can overcome them... and once you overcome those adversities, use your story, your testimony to others, to help others get through their storm.“ Remember your light.


Carl Jung wrote that “There is no coming to consciousness without pain.” Kahlil Gibran wrote that "Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.”


Albert Camus wrote that “In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. I realised, through it all, that… In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”


Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”


Swami Vivekananda said “Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvellous work. It is fearlessness that brings 'Heaven' even in a moment.”


We all have days when we feel low, anxious, or fearful. The spiritual journey involves realising that this is simply human emotion and is to be expected. It's easy when we wake up feeling low to start believing that we will always be suffering and that it will never end. Spirituality allows you to believe that with all emotions, 'this too shall pass,' and that 'all is well.' Our new reality accepts that we will have tough days. This is part of the healing process. Love your fate. Sometimes our challenges seem insurmountable. I can assure you that they are not. Simply realising that it is normal to have fluctuations in our emotions provides great solace.


Do not trust the way you see your Self when your mind is turbulent, and remember that even pain is temporary. Treat your Self gently, let go of perfection, and feel your emotions without letting them control you: You have enough experience to face the storm and evolve from it.


Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we have learned here. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts. We create our fears, the world doesn't. Carl Jung wrote “Where your fear is, there is your task.”



Our emotional landscape is constantly changing. Our emotions must be felt then let go of. Our new reality is about accepting the 'isness' of the present moment. In the past we used unhealthy coping mechanisms such as diving into work, using alcohol, and other addictive negative coping mechanisms. Now we use daily spiritual practises such as presence, prayer and meditation.







Weak minds sink under prosperity as well as adversity; but strong and deep ones have two high tides. Adversity is the diamond dust 'Heaven' polishes its jewels with.


John Wayne wrote “I'm not the sort to back away from a fight. I don't believe in shrinking from anything. It's not my speed; I'm a guy who meets adversities head on.”


W. Clement Stone wrote “Every great man, every successful man, no matter what the field of endeavour, has known the magic that lies in these words: Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.”


Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote “No difficulty can discourage, no obstacle dismay, no trouble dishearten the man who has acquired the art of being alive. Difficulties are but dares of fate, obstacles but hurdles to try his skill, troubles but bitter tonics to give him strength; and he rises higher and looms greater after each encounter with adversity.”


When adversity strikes, that's when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on. Robert H. Schuller wrote “Press on. Obstacles are seldom the same size tomorrow as they are today.” Imaginary obstacles are insurmountable. Real ones aren't. You go after your dreams no matter how many obstacles. You want to go forward. That's what I did. Love what you're doing with unbridled passion and enthusiasm, you're going to succeed when you hit obstacles. Thrive on obstacles. Washington Irving wrote “Some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles.” Norman Vincent Peale wrote “Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of your Self as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture. Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.”


Richelle E. Goodrich wrote that “No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges.  That fact may not be obvious because most people don't advertise their woes and heartaches.  But nobody, not even the purest heart, escapes life without suffering battle scars.” Ray A. Davis wrote “A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it.” When people throw rocks at us, we use them to build the foundations of our lives. William Arthur Ward wrote that “We can choose to throw stones, to stumble on them, to climb over them, or to build with them.”


When you do what you love, the seemingly impossible becomes simply challenging, the challenge becomes a gift, the laborious becomes purposeful resistance, the difficult loses its edge and is trampled by your progress and evolution. Embrace each challenge in your life as an opportunity for Self-transformation.


Epictetus wrote “I laugh at those who think they can damage me. They do not know who I am, they do not know what I think, they cannot even touch the things which are really mine and with which I live.” Challenges are the great wall between those who stand and those who fall. We can smile when facing a challenge, if we believe in ourselves that we won’t back down. We can use the stumbling blocks to build our success.


The tests we face in life's journey are not to reveal our weaknesses but to help us discover our inner strengths. We can only know how strong we are when we strive and thrive beyond the challenges we face. Challenges in life can either enrich you or poison you. You are the one who decides. There is always a gift in any challenge. Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts—so what? Sometimes it’s my sense that the mountains in our lives don’t wish to repel us through our fear of their peaks and crevices. Rather, they present us with the opportunity to overcome that fear by inviting us to scale their peaks, forge their crevices, and to suddenly find ourselves walking through the listless valley that lays on the other side of a range that we never thought ourselves capable of traversing.


We can stop fighting the world. We just need to find our Selves. Through challenges, we remember who we are. This is our highest possibility, and it will overcome any challenge.


B. C. Forbes wrote that “History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed.” Alfred P. Sloan wrote that “There has to be this pioneer, the individual who has the courage, the ambition to overcome the obstacles that always develop when one tries to do something worthwhile, especially when it is new and different.” Each one of us has lived through some devastation, some loneliness, some weather superstorm or spiritual superstorm, when we look at each other we must say, I understand. I understand how you feel because I have been there myself. We must support each other and empathise with each other because each of us is more alike than we are unalike.


Life's road isn't paved with serenity, but cobbled with challenges. It's not the existence of bumps that hinders us, but our yearning for a frictionless journey. The rugged terrains of our challenges often conceal a tender landscape beneath, waiting for us to walk with Grace and reveal the hidden beauty within our trials. Overcoming great challenges can profoundly transform our life’s path. Remember, it is during the darkest nights that the brightest stars reveal their true brilliance. The future will present insurmountable problems - only when we consider them insurmountable. Some fish love to swim upstream. Some people love to overcome challenges. Those who overcome great challenges will be changed, and often in unexpected ways. For our struggles enter our lives as unwelcome guests, but they bring valuable gifts. And once the pain subsides, the gifts remain. These gifts are life's true treasures, bought at great price, but cannot be acquired in any other way. The rugged terrains of our challenges often conceal a tender landscape beneath, waiting for us to walk with Grace and reveal the hidden beauty within our trials. I've come to know that the most remarkable of people - those who can speak to situations and help others overcome their demons, are the individuals who have passed through challenges and came out not broken but refined.


The key to life is to know who we are and how life works. Do you need some guidance right now? We are embarking on a Hero's Journey, and it will be the greatest journey of our lives. Joseph Campbell wrote that “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” In order to be able to support others in their own transformational process, we must have been the hero in your own. When we have, we will become a true way-shower, a deep transformative coach, an Enlightened Witness, for those who are on the Way but are falling on hard times in the world. So many are being called to this adventure, to embark on the heroic journey that asks them to leave the comfortable home we have created for your Selves and to follow the leading of the heart that calls us into a whole new paradigm of living. But it’s undoubtedly challenging, and therefore coaches and mentors and others who have taken the road less travelled are very much needed – we are needed. We will make it through the 'Dark Night of our Soul.' This is the journey from pain to peace. Love our fate. Remember it is well with our Soul. No-one can blow out our flame. Christopher Columbus said that “You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”



Namaste.


Sending you love, light, and blessings brothers.


Olly


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Hello,

I am delighted and enchanted to meet you. I coach men with 'Deep Coaching', 'Supercoaching', and Transformative Life Coaching (TLC). Thank you for reading this far. I very much look forward to connecting with the highest version of you, to seeing your highest possibility, and to our conversations. Please do contact me via my email for a free connection call and a free experience of coaching on Zoom or in person. 











I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have a number of other higher qualifications in science and surgery. I have published over 50 peer reviewed PubMed cited scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for over five years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works.




 
 
 

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