An Opportunity in Disguise

"Genius is perseverance in disguise" ~ Mike Newlin

A lot of people talk about the attitude of seeing a glass half full vs. half empty. Which do you most generally see? I'm sure you already know that you can change your attitude. If you generally see it half empty, you can change it to half full, and visa versa. It's a matter of how you view a life challenge. Is it an opportunity in disguise?

One of the bigger attitude changes you can make is in the way you view a life challenge. Do you see it as an overwhelming burden that's just in the way (half empty), or do you view it as an opportunity to unfold a bit more of the wonder that is you (half full?) I like to think that some humorous form of divine wisdom likes to look down and "stir the pot" every once in a while, just for grins.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could view these challenges with a grin on your face, and with an "Oh, yeah? Well, watch this!" in your heart?

Challenges can be an incredible "next stately step" that reveal ideas that might otherwise remain hidden, save but for that challenge. A positive attitude allows you to welcome challenge as an key piece of the success journey as well as a crucial aspect of developing your decision-making skills.

Does it seem wise to you that challenges are going to be there; nobody is immune from them; everyone has them, and that you may as well figure out a better way to handle them? If you can answer "Yes," you've just taken the first step toward embracing challenges as opportunities and taking whatever steps are necessary toward your own success.

Successful individuals understand and are comfortable with the inevitability of a life challenge and of some kind of transitory failure. They see both challenge and failure, as just one of the necessary steps forward, one of the risks you have to take in order to ultimately succeed.

Because harmony is life's natural state, we are most comfortable with success and not failure. We're programmed to become security seekers, rather than risk takers; and until you can stop being afraid of being bopped on the head for your failures, you will remain locked in the place you are in now. There's so much more!

This year, you might ask yourself one wonderful question when a challenge arises: What good does this hold for me? If you can honestly conjure up a few good reasons that are good, you'll be well on your way to creating wonderful solutions (and an opportunity in disguise) that move you forward toward success.

With just this small shift, you can change the same event, from seeing it as overwhelming and unmanageable and turn it instead into a marvelous opportunity. It is amazing how quickly you can change things in your environment, by simply changing the way you view these invariable challenges. If you want 2012 to be your year for incredible success, accept the truth that you are capable. You can have anything you want, if you will allow yourself to see all the possibilities available to you.