By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
As a novelist, one of my jobs is to show character change and growth. This is a process that takes the entire book to accomplish. A character is challenged by life, and he/she can choose to open the door to solve a problem or slam it shut. A hero or heroine grabs hold of life and embraces the skills needed to be an overcomer. But it’s not easy. Just like life.
All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me.” –Walt Disney
The dichotomy is we want the growth but not the challenges. Health issues, employment woes, financial worries, marital heartbreak, misbehaving children, and the list goes on. Who wants them? Yet our busy lives weave us from one hardship to another. Eliminating challenges means no change or growth. My stories must have turmoil to be successful, and my life must experience them too.
What are the benefits of enduring the hard stuff? Patching the cracks in our mortar is painful. We want to know the good at the other end of the challenge.
- Emotional understanding. Our weaknesses don’t have to define, crush, label, and defeat us. Choose to eliminate psychological flaws. Understanding ourselves is a strength many fail to achieve.
- Healthy bodies. Couch potatoes have soft bodies that invite illness. Blunt, but true. Unless your doctor has ordered otherwise, lift those weights, lace up those walking shoes, stay hydrated, and eat nutritionally sound.
- Career advancement. Those individuals who strive for success accepted the challenge of a solid education, long hours, priorities, and continuous learning. Challenges breed leaders.
- Increased awareness. Our world is unpredictable. We can fill our minds with TV and video games or we can balance our lives with a driving need to know what’s going on in our community, state, country, and world. When we face the challenge of awareness, we are productive contributors to society.
- Greater Blessings. Facing challenges and learning from them makes us happy, fulfilled, secure, and at peace with God and man. We’re able to help others because of what we’ve experienced.
We’ve all faced challenges. How have you grown?
DiAnn’s Library Corner
Librarian – Challenges can defeat or strengthen us. Do you have a display of resources to encourage your patrons?
