Challenges.
To be honest I really don't like challenging situations. I much prefer for things to be easy as I suppose most people do.
What I have discovered, though, is that sometimes we aren't even aware of a potential challenge until we are smack dab in the middle of it. It is then that the real test of our ability to cope surfaces.
Recently I found myself in a situation that not only caught me off guard, but resulted in a sense of discomfort that I just couldn't shake. My first inclination was to retreat, but it wasn't a viable option at the time. Unfortunately, I was never able to come up with a solution, and basically just remained uncomfortable.
After giving it some more thought, it really bothered me that I was never able to successfully maneuver this challenge. It was later that I read the words of Fred DeVito, "If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you."
This experience has made me more aware of how I react in uncomfortable situations, and I am ready to change my actions in the future. How have challenges changed you?
Sometimes that discomfort is shame. I never looked shame in the face until I read Brené Brown. She defined it as the vision you get of how others see you in the moment of challenge. It attacks your very being. I don't infer here that your challenge was accompanied with shame but if it was, the antidote is to tell the story. Once the story is verbally told some of the intensity fades. I call it a shame storm and I have learned that letting it fester is toxic.
ReplyDeleteI had never really thought about it that way, and I'm not sure that was it. I found myself feeling like I did many years before just trying to find my place. Usually I am more comfortable with myself.
DeleteI hope my response did not make you feel misunderstood. I just have felt shame often and have not understood what it was. It is not guilt. That has to do with wrong action. Shame has more of a not good enough aspect.
DeleteNot at all. I think you might be right on the money when you think about it in the context of not good enough.
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