Embracing Difficulty

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

This is one of my all time favorite quotes. It is not always easy to see the positive side of a difficult situation. And for many of us, we can get weighed down by feelings of fear, anxiety, or negativity. But isn’t it true that when we are faced with a difficult situation we either rise to meet that challenge or we cower and muddle through.

In the past, I did some work with an executive coach and we did an exercise around perspectives. She would ask me what was a current issue or problem I was trying to tackle. I would talk about how I felt about that problem. Then she asked me to see my problem from a different perspective. One perspective that I vividly recall was the that of my son’s favorite cartoon character at the time, Mickey Mouse. What would his perspective be on my problem? Thinking of Mickey rallying his friend together, being positive and enthusiastic. That definitely forced me to see my issue differently. Silly? Yes, but effective. Sometimes looking at the problem or situation through a different lens makes it easier to see the possibilities.

I’m not so naïve to think that it is easy to see the opportunities in every difficult situation. Being diagnosed with a serious illness, having a less than great financial situation, losing your job. But seeing these situations from different perspectives may allow us to go towards a new opportunity instead of being stuck with fear. To rise up to meet the challenge and move forward.