The late Norman Vincent Peale once said, “There is only one group of people who do not have problems, and they are all dead. Problems are a sign of life, so the more problems you have, the more alive you are.”
Although a tongue-in-cheek philosophy of life, there is some truth to this pronouncement. Some people have relationship problems, others financial, some career, others health, some social, others business. No one is immune to problems in life.
Problems are not positive or negative. In a sense they are neutral depending upon how you choose to see them and your responses to them. Epictetus made the point more than 2,000 years ago: “People are disturbed not by events but by their view of them.”
The key is to realize that problems are part of life. Winners in the life cycle accept adversities as catalysts to becoming better, stronger, wiser, and more aware of the realities of life.
If you take a positive approach and view problems as CHALLENGES, your inner chat changes—bringing you the opportunity to get a clearer vision of how to deal with them.
You will also feel in control—rather than feeling like a victim. And your effectiveness will increase as you do.