“We conquer by continuing.” – George Matheson
Have you ever experienced challenges in your life — those times when you felt lost and had no idea how to keep moving forward?
If we are feeling like we cannot possibly continue or that what we have to contend with is just too difficult for us to overcome, we need to sit down and have a good talk with ourselves. What we may be going through could be a temporary setback or something that only requires some minor adjustment in our day-to-day activities.
Here are the tips:
1.) Seek out adversity
Struggle builds character. Often the moments in our life we are most proud of are the ones where we overcame adversity to accomplish something worthwhile. Do something that pushes you to your limits and beyond. Nothing will make you feel more unstoppable than revealing to yourself that you are capable of far more than you ever imagined.
“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”
2.) Focus on the positive
We are all conditioned with what psychologists call “The Negativity Bias.” Unfortunately our brain has a natural inclination to focus on threats and dangers, even perceived ones we create. To destroy this evolutionary construct, throughout your day focus on what is positive and right about the world around you. Find reasons to appreciate everything around you.
“I am more than my scars.”
3.) Label your emotion
The neuroscientist Dr. Matthew Lieberman has shown that the simple act of labeling our emotions reduces activity in the emotional brain and increases activity in the areas of the brain associated with focus and awareness. The next time you are stuck in an emotional pattern that isn’t serving you, label the emotion to separate yourself from the experience. This will allow you to then consciously choose a new one.
“Well, if it can be thought, it can be done, a problem can be overcome,”
3.) Write a journal
Every time you find yourself stuck or facing a life challenge, write down your thoughts in a journal. This allows you to get out of your head and separate yourself from the impact of the experience. It brings the conscious brain into play while reducing the effects of the unconscious, emotional brain.
“Those who don't know how to suffer are the worst off. There are times when the only correct thing we can do is to bear out troubles until a better day.”
4.) Celebrate your summits
Write down a list of all your successes you have achieved in your life. Every single one. Try to reach at least 50. Moving forward, any time you experience a win, stop and celebrate it. This will drive your brain to keep taking the actions that led to the pleasurable emotion.
“Take a limitation and turn it into an opportunity. Take an opportunity and turn it into an adventure by dreaming BIG!”
5.) Time travel
Go back in time to all those memories that have robbed you of your confidence and create new meanings to them. Cognitive psychologist, Elizabeth Loftus has shown that memories can be changed and even false memories can be implanted in people. What this means is that you can literally go back in time and change your memories simply by repeatedly picturing the event while anchored into a positive state, so the meaning of the memory will become a positive one.
“Some fish love to swim upstream. Some people love to overcome challenges.” Source
6. Have Faith
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" HAVE FAITH IN GOD! ALWAYS THINK THAT YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING BECAUSE GOD IS ALWAYS THERE TO GUIDE YOU. DON'T LET THE WORLD'S NEGATIVITY DISENCHANT YOU. IF YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH FAITH, LOVE AND HOPE, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.