Sometimes, we find ourselves with our backs against the wall.  All we can think about is finding a solution to our “problem,” and the challenge tends to dominate our thoughts.

In talking with a good friend who is also LOA-savvy, I admitted that I realized some years ago that whenever a problem was solved or things “fell into place,” I would find my mind (not me, my mind!) scanning for the next problem to solve!  It was a great revelation to have at the time.  I no longer use that as my modus operandi, and if I notice that I’m scanning for trouble, I pat myself on the back for noticing that I’m doing that.  And I use the tools I have in my repertoire to release negative thoughts and refocus on what’s working. Then, more of the good stuff shows up!

Many of us grew up to be or were taught to be “problem solvers.”  It can be a point of pride.  It’s not all bad.  Problems do arise, and our lives are meant to have some elements of “resistance” to our naturally pure positive energy.  If there were no resistance or things that we see that we’d like to improve, our lives would stop.  We signed up for this experience of expansion.

Occasionally, we do enjoy a challenge.  Sometimes, a challenge is the kick in the pants that we need to realize that we really really want to change something.  It can almost feel exhilarating.  Yet, it can also feel overwhelming or immobilizing. That hardly seems ideal.  But, there is a way to use that challenge energy to make it a win-win where we end up in an even better place than we were before the challenge.

Our job is always to move ourselves up the emotional scale to a place that feels better.  We want to be in the emotional state that is a vibrational match to what we want, not the issue we want to change.  So, languishing in feeling overwhelmed or immobilized is not where we want to be.  When we find ourselves with our backs against the wall, we want to be on a fairly fast track toward better feelings.

The notion of facing a challenge or overcoming odds as something that might be slightly exciting or satisfying makes sense when we look at the alternatives.  When we are in a situation where we are really “in it,” and we feel the odds are against us, there are much lower emotional states where we can find ourselves that feel much worse than overwhelmed.  We can feel stuck, desperate, confused, angry, sad, anxious and even fearful.  Given the options, feeling exhilarated or excited is so much better.

I want to be clear that I’m not suggesting that we create an enemy to prove a point or a difficult challenge as a way to be motivated and exhilarated.  I’m merely saying that it happens.  And, it happens fairly naturally as often a part of us may have created that problem, issue, or challenge to feel the feeling of overcoming the odds, creating a seeming miracle, or proving to ourselves that our self-doubts are unfounded.

I love this quotation from danielscranton.com, which addresses this phenomenon so beautifully:

And no matter how it is you have placed yourself in a situation where your prospects do not look so good, it is always because you wanted to have that experience of reaching for that surge of energy and overcoming the odds.  So when you see yourself in the midst of one of these challenges, remember what it is there for so that you keep your eyes on the prize, so to speak, and you make your journey about summoning and receiving that surge of energy because that is one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have as a being who experiences itself as less than all-powerful.

One thing I do know for sure is that I prefer an easier ride and the exhilaration that comes from connection, helping others, a job well-done, beauty, nature, having an epiphany, finding humor in anything, and those things that create emotions higher on the vibrational scale.  And I prefer that for my clients and for all of us that are in this together.

Yet, knowing that challenges will still arise and that we are more powerful than our challenges is a great thing to have in our repertoire.  We can move more quickly out of those very painful emotions to remembering and accessing our full power.  It doesn’t have to take long.  The solution can be so close on the heels of the problem when we are deliberate about the way we handle it.  We can use that feeling of having a fire lit beneath us to access our strength and remind ourselves of how powerful we are when we intentionally raise our vibration to move beyond our challenge.

As soon as we’ve begun raising our vibration in response to a challenge, perhaps moving from fear to anger, from overwhelm to confidence, and then to competent and powerful, the inspired actions and solutions to our issue will be right in front of us.

That is handling challenges as a deliberate creator.  It feels so much better, and we will have expanded and become more fully aware of our power in the process.