Challenges! We’ve all got them.
It’s either we are stressed because we don’t have enough or because we have too much.
Not enough responsibility, time, money, energy, opportunities, etc.
Too much responsibility, time, money (yes that can be a problem), energy, etc. Depending on how you handle difficult situations, it can become very frustrating.
So, if you’re struggling with any of these challenges, how can you overcome them or turn them around and make them work for you?
3 Tips to Overcome the Challenges you Face:
1. Mindset – As with most things, Mindset is key. Be careful of confusing perception with reality. You may feel like something is a challenge and is ruining your life/work/relationships when all that is required is a change of perspective. Stop and think. Evaluate your thoughts and beliefs. If you need to, shift. How can you shift your thinking? Ask trusted friends or advisors for their perspective. Or take an analytical approach and ask yourself questions like “How does this challenge make me better?”, “What two things can this challenge teach me that I don’t already know?”. As you take yourself outside of the challenge and look at it from a different angle, you will find the gift and the way forward.
2. Manage Your Emotions – Great leaders stay cool under pressure, make good decisions, handle difficult situations and people well. How do they do it? They have mastered their emotions. They feel fear/doubt/ anger/frustration, just like you do. What they have learned to do is not give in to their emotions. Instead, they use them (along with other external information) to make decisions. So, next time you start to feel afraid/angry/uncertain – ask yourself what your emotion is telling you and dig a bit deeper.
3. Move – No, I don’t mean leave your home. I mean do something! So many people accept what happens to them as given and forget that they have the power to change things. It’s never easy and usually not very quick. Start exactly where you are and make a choice today.
If you are carrying a lot of responsibility, make a choice to lay some things down. It may come as a surprise, but the sun will still come up tomorrow if you don’t do ________________________ (fill in the blank).
If you can’t make yourself let go, then prioritise. What can wait? What must be done now? What is a distraction rather than essential?
If your challenge is too much time, now that you’ve retired and have plenty of money put aside for example, then get busy. Offer your knowledge, time, money. I had a client who came to me because he was ‘retired, but not yet tired’. I thought it was brilliant. We designed a strategy and set him to ‘work’ helping people develop marketing skills. He’s a happier man now that he’s set up a part-time business and is helping people.
I hope these tips will help you as you navigate your business and life.
Till next time, keep living your purpose with passion.
Uzo x
Uzo Ijewere is a Business Strategy & Emotional Intelligence Coach. She runs Augment Business Coaching, and helps entrepreneurs align their vision with strategy, grow their businesses, and become more profitable. Her purpose is to help entrepreneurs and small business owners build thriving businesses, and corporates to adopt head and heart strategies in the workplace.
