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Like it or not, problems, or challenges, are a recurring part of everyday life. Whether you choose to call them challenges, as I do, or problems, certainly doesn’t change the fact that they happen. However, it does change the way we respond to them!
Some life skills that make a huge difference in our state of mind are so simple that they only require a slight shift in our thinking! This is one of those simple yet powerful life skills.
How life skills can influence our subconscious
Subconsciously, having a problem means, “There’s something wrong here.” Our mind hears, “This isn’t right, life is not as it should be.” How does this perception affect us? It causes our energy to be funneled toward repairing something that’s gone wrong. Not a very empowering state of mind. So, what life skills could we use to quickly create a positive shift?
Unlike the word “problem”, facing a challenge sends no such mental message. Instead of trying to repair a malfunction, a challenge encourage us to recruit our inner resources and to view the situation as a new opportunity. This is a much more empowering state of mind created by simply exchanging one descriptive word for another.
Words send signals to our brain
It’s not uncommon to use the words problem and challenge interchangeably, but the fact is, they send entirely different messages to our brains. One message represents a struggle just to regain the status quo. It means that we have somehow lost ground and now we must struggle just to get back to where we were.
The other, more empowering choice, tells our minds that everything is great. So great in fact, that we are ready to take on something new. To our subconscious mind, challenges are represented as opportunities. We see them as a way to move up to the next level. It’s our chance to demonstrate what we’re made of.
That is why learning to use the word challenge instead of problem has such a positive effect on our outlook. It’s the difference between our day being plagued with problems or full of opportunities? Are we struggling just to maintain, or are we ready to accept a challenge and take it to the next level? That’s a great example of how even the simplest life skills can have a powerful positive influence on the quality of our life.
Take empowering words for a trial run
Changing the words we use changes our state of mind and our perception of life, but please, don’t take my word for it. Instead, why not try it out for yourself? Simply replace the word problem in your vocabulary with the word challenge and see what happens?
This is one of those life skills that can quickly and easily ramp up the quality of your whole life. Why not try it for a week and let me know how it works for you? Improving the quality of your life doesn’t need to be complicated. Many of the most powerful life skills you will ever learn are as simple as exchanging one word for another.
Of course, it doesn’t really matter how simple life skills are if we don’t use them. And therein lies the real secret of personal growth. Nothing happens unless we actually apply what we learn. The power of any skill or strategy is in the application. If we make it a habit to consistently incorporate the things we learn, especially the life skills that are easy to learn, they will have a profound positive effect on our life.
