Everyone has challenges.
Some people have the challenge of being hungry and not knowing if they can eat on any given day. A wealthy CEO may have the challenge of not knowing if she can bring in enough contracts this month to keep the company afloat.
A factory worker may have the challenge of being bored during the workday. A college student may have the challenge of missing early morning classes due to late-night partying.
We can choose some of our challenges. Others are thrust on us. Think of Covid-19. This global pandemic has impacted almost everyone in the world! Cars don’t break down at convenient times. The challenges caused by snowstorms and hurricanes are not easy to predict.
Still, the degree to which we can choose our challenges is surprising.
You can choose to live in an area where hurricanes are rare. But you may have to move far away from your family and friends to do this. You can choose to buy a better car — if you’ve managed to get a good enough job to afford it. You can choose to get a vaccine to minimize the greater challenges associated with contracting Covid-19.
“Problems in life never end; they merely get exchanged and/or upgraded into better problems.”
— Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
I like Mark Manson’s idea that instead of trying to avoid problems, you should strive to acquire better problems.
What makes any one problem better than another? That’s up to you! Armed with your values and judgment, you can decide which problems you want to face. At least some of the time!
Choose your challenges wisely.
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