EAL 05: How Your Challenges Actually Serve You

So much of your life is determined and defined by the quality of the relationships in your life. How many of your relationships feel safe and connected? How often do you share your most authentic self with those who are closest to you?

In this episode, you will find out some important clues for setting your life up so that you use your challenges to inspire and improve your connections, enhancing the quality of your day-to-day life.

Most of your challenges are there to encourage you to focus on the things that most need to be developed in your life. The energy of life itself is so much more fully supportive than most people know how to recognize. Find out how you can embrace your challenges as true opportunities the invest in yourself!

CALL TO ACTION:

COMMENT BELOW, briefly sharing a time when you spent quality time with a friend, when you shared yourself really honestly. OR write down your intention to begin this week. Setting intentions is powerful.

Time Stamps go with the AUDIO version of this episode.

1:00 Look for the gifts in our challenges

1:20 What creates meaning, value and purpose?

2:15 Let know what you want to talk about.

2:30 Inventory - When you go to lunch with friends, what do you talk about?

3:00 We must be aware of self in order to create real intimacy.

3:20 Do you have one friend with whom you could share ANYTHING?

4:00 Your challenges actually serve you!

4:30 Early challenges in your life… starting with learning to take your first steps.

5:15 Are you willing to have a learning curve, including making mistakes?

5:50 Every person has a learning curve!

6:30 Each grade has a curriculum or set of challenges.

7:10 How often do you avoid challenges? Do you know why?

7:35 We have all lacked a trust that we are safe and that moving through our learning curve can be a nurtured experience.

8:05 Call to action: Pay attention your typical response to challenges. 

9:00 Our goals become meaningful when we embrace the journey of moving through our challenges. That process teaches us to value as well.

9:30 When we don’t have to invest our time and energy in something, we don’t typically value it.

10:30 When you invest in something, you tend to value it much more fully.

11:00 When something comes too easily, people don’t tend to value it..

11:30 A friend who learned to value something that he once used only as a party trick… that made him world famous once he made a real investment.

13:45 My challenge of having an absent father became one of the greatest opportunities of my life… once I embraced the challenge.

14:45 Reminder - pay attention to what you are willing to share and whether that includes your challenges.

15:00 Call to action: Practice sharing more of yourself with ONE person