5 ways to turn problems into challenges

We all have problems in our lives. Every problem you have can be traced back to a lack of leadership. That’s why I am constantly talking about leadership because I believe that leadership is the solution to every problem. Most men don’t want to lead because it’s easy to blame someone else. It’s easy to point the finger at someone and hard to take responsibility. 

Those who choose to lead often quit when life gets hard. They lower their standards, they tolerate things they shouldn’t, and eventually, they become victims.

What stops a person from leading? I believe every man who gets stuck is focusing on the problem instead of finding the solution. Problems are never going away. If you focus on the problem, you magnify it.

When you face adversity, you either quit or you get stronger. There is no middle ground. Your problems will either make you or break you. You have to choose. When you turn your problems into possibilities, you create a challenge. A challenge will drive you, a problem will drain you; a problem brings out the best in you, and a problem brings out the worst in you. Life is hard, so you have to decide whether to quit or get stronger. 

5 ways to turn problems into challenges.

1- Write it down.

You’re constantly thinking about your problems. You end up overthinking it and making the problem worse in your mind. When you write down your situation, you will gain clarity. Clarity is the first step to see what’s possible. You have to get it out of your head and see it on paper. Otherwise, you are going to be thinking about it constantly. Then you can see possible solutions instead of having your problems linger in your mind. Write it down and let that energy from your mind go to the piece of paper. That alone can reduce stress and anxiety. It lets you relax to realize that your situation is not as bad as you thought.

2- Don’t make it worse than it is.

Your mind tends to look for the worst-case scenario. Your subconscious mind is not looking for fulfillment, it’s looking to survive. The subconscious mind has hundreds of thousands of years of evolution designed to look out for the saber-toothed tiger lurking in the trees. Thriving, on the other hand, is a conscious decision. You either live in the subconscious mind and are constantly reacting to life, or you make the conscious decision to find solutions and thrive in life. 

3- Who are you becoming? 

When you ask yourself that question, you are really asking yourself, will you become a victim of your circumstances or a creator of your destiny? You attract not what you want, but who you are. There is no upside to having a victim mentality. The victim mentality is killing the culture right now because it’s easy to blame and point the finger at others, but you have to make the hard choice to take ownership of your situation and create the life you want. It’s not up to politicians or the church or your school, it’s up to you to make the conscious decision who you will become. When you ask yourself if you are becoming a victim or a creator, there is no in-between; you’re one or the other. 

4- Find someone who has overcome this problem. 

You need to see that other people have overcome what you’re going through right now. Your mind needs to see it to believe it. What is possible for you if you know someone else has gone through something just as bad if not worse than you? You won’t be the first or the last person to go through what you’re going through, but at the same time, you can be someone else’s reason or someone else’s excuse. Success leaves clues. Look for the patterns. What patterns of people who have overcome what you’re going through can you emulate? 

5- Ask yourself why not you?

Most men live stuck in their problems because they don’t feel worthy of a solution. Instead of asking “Why me,” like you’re being punished by God, instead ask, “Why not me,” because you’re being given an opportunity to grow. Most men believe they are unworthy, so they don’t look for solutions. Life is giving you what you need to grow. But because you refuse to grow, you are stuck in the same situation. You refuse to grow because you don’t feel worthy of being a leader. This is what is killing men right now. It’s not that they don’t know what to do, it’s that they don't feel worthy of doing what they know they can do. 

You don’t rise to the challenge, you fall back to your training. Train yourself daily on how to turn your problems into challenges. Every day, you are going to be conditioned by life to either quit or get stronger, to become a victim or a creator, but you have to be the one to choose. You have to condition yourself to level up and lead instead of letting life program you to quit. Give yourself the permission to lead and take on the challenge that life is giving you. Everything you are going through is giving you what you need to level up. If you refuse to grow, you’re telling God that He made a mistake by choosing you to lead. 

If you’re reading this, you were chosen to lead. But if you don’t feel worthy of leading, you won’t listen to the voice. A leader is not perfect. Perfection is the lowest standard. You may always have the voice that tells you that you don’t have what it takes. If you listen to the voice, you’re going to be fucked. It won’t just impact you, it will affect every person in your family. It’s your job to tell that voice, “Not today, motherfucker!” Choose to listen to the inner voice, the voice of joy, of purpose, of impact.

Leadership is purpose. Your purpose is to grow. If you don’t take on the challenge that life is giving you to live with purpose, you’re going to point the finger at someone else, and eventually, that voice that’s telling you that you aren’t enough is going to become true. 

You have the power to change your reality by turning your problems into challenges. Train yourself every day to make the choice to lead. Nobody is going to do it for you, it’s up to you to make the choice. 

It’s not going to be easy. Life will be full of obstacles. But you will be proud that you were in the battlefield and gave it everything you had in the end. If you don’t give life everything you’ve got, you’re going to make excuses. Fuck excuses. Focus on results.   

For more insights and to connect with Raul Villacis, check out his Youtube channel and other social media platforms.

"Learn it, live it, love life." - Raul Villacis

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