Embracing and Overcoming Challenges

Embracing and overcoming challenges is one of the most talked about and difficult areas of leadership development facing our clients. It involves continuous self-evaluation and acceptance of the fact that leadership is a constant refining process. We are required to look intently in the mirror and have the flaws in our character revealed to us. Only then do we gain power over our circumstances.

Here is an overview of the steps to take that will help you embracing your challenges:

• Realize 90% of your circumstances were created by YOU.

This may be a hard pill to swallow. We live in a nation where it is always somebody else's fault. However, it has often been quoted, "life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

This is a very critical point to remember. You are not as much of a victim of your circumstances as you may think. Oftentimes, we live our lives in a more reactive position instead of a proactive one. This feeds the notion that we are somehow not responsible for our current position.

The first step to leadership is to take responsibility for where you currently find yourself. You created your current situation, and can make the choice to proactively change it to fit the leadership lifestyle you envision for yourself.

• Realize 90% of the outcome of your situation depends upon YOU as well!

It is critical to remember that although you may find your personal and/or professional life to be a long way from where you would like them to be, you are the captain of your life. You are capable of creating the outcome you desire.

It's never too late to become proactive in your role as the creator of your life. A proven way to accomplish this is to take a moment to think about and picture what you would like your life to look like. If you could create your future any way you wanted, what would this include?

With a clear vision of you picture perfect future, you have a destination with which to travel. Creating the road map to achieving this is all that remains. Before beginning to plot your course, you should to qualify your journey. Clearly define the "why" in the reason you created your picture. Your "why" determines if our goal has roots to grow into the success that you hope for.

• Make Reality Your Best Friend and your Power will follow.

The "why" of your imagined future will determine the depth of your commitment to this goal. It will serve as the validation for what you seek to accomplish. Think of reality as the undeniable denominator in whatever task you undertake. Reality actually can serve as your best friend for many reasons.

• Reality will never lie to you.
• Reality will give you the straight facts.
• Reality will always give you opportunity to change it.

This is a critical step in embracing and overcoming the challenges you face along the path towards reaching destination. Examine your whys and plot your course!

• Avoid the tendency to put your head in the sand when confronted with challenging situations.

As you step out to embrace reality and the challenges that you face, you may begin to long for those days you put your head in the sand and hoped difficult situations would disappear on their own. This single thought will prove to be a barrier to your success you if allow it to happen.

This is NOT how life works and is not what you want for yourself. You don't have to solve every challenge today. Make a list, and methodically handle the challenges. Start with the ones that if not dealt with, could prove to be a hindrance to reaching your goals.

Usually, the situations that we are hiding from have caused us pain or similar discomfort in the past. However, the energy that is being used to continually cover over these items could be used to embrace your challenges and create your goals.

• Clean up the unpleasant situations immediately

As unbelievable as it may seem, YOU are the biggest obstacle to your success against your challenges.

Now that you are aware of the goals that you want to reach and the "why" in which you have chosen them, it's time to clean up situations that hinder achieving success. If a situation needs to be handled, handle it now. Don't give it opportunity to return or become bigger.

Life is in desperate need of leaders, leaders that make a difference for the right reasons and by doing so, benefit others along the way. This is the mission life has requested of us. Make it your determination to be a leader that fulfills

Jerel Benjamin is the founder of Leadership Gold. He is a well known Entrepreneur of six companies and founded Leadership Gold to make the strategies for success in one's professional and personal career available to all who choose to accept it. Mr. Benjamin's company is based in Los Angeles, CA. but its memberships and daily Leadership Blogs are enjoyed throughout North America and the UK. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerel_Benjamin