Rising to challenges - and facing them!

A yoga instructor read a quote from a book about rising to whatever Challenge that life puts in front of us, that we can choose to rise and try to meet them and do our best or we can choose not to, but in any case the choice is ours. Know this: there will always be another challenge and it may be bigger or smaller, but challenges are part of life. And you can face them.

I heard this wonderful quote and thought: a good day is not one without challenge, but one in which I accept the challenges and understand my role in meeting them, or not. I thought about The Climb, Miley Cyrus’ song about how there will always be another mountain to move, and I realize my little Pearls are so helpful to me that they come at me in other forms or language. The point for me is that whether I am climbing, trying to move mountains, or in the process of trying to get all my work done, my workouts in, and still being a good mom and wife and sister and daughter and boss and friend, no matter what I do I will have a sense of not doing it all as well as I’d like, and never getting “through” it all by the time I lay my head on the pillow.

My pearl: Enjoy the climb. Life is a process. You’re never “done” and that’s okay. I can’t be upset about being too busy, or challenged by the day-to-day events of my life. I I have to be okay with this perpetually busy state, a long “To-Do” list, and not get overwhelmed. But sometimes I do get overwhelmed. I nearly panic at times about “did I forget something?” did I let someone down? Did I get it done? Did I do it well? And if so, what about tomorrow? Will I tackle all that as well?

Sometimes I have to tell myself to chill, or more to the point, to be grateful that I have such a full schedule. This is “good stress,” since in today’s economy it’s a blessing to be busy, to be engaged. I want to be helpful to others, and also be the best person I can be, and that means having a “To Do” list that is rarely done. But sometimes I think: I need to learn to meditate and clear my brain, to reboot and just start fresh. (Another to do!) I know that I will always seek out the next challenge and then when it’s in front of me I have to remember: don’t complain, since you put yourself there in the first place.

So I do accept the Challenges, the Climb, and I’m here to remind you: don’t fret if you feel overwhelmed or stressed out at times. It’s normal. It’s life. It’s a blessing. Embrace it. Try to even enjoy it. And remember to breathe, smile, and have fun.