C is for Challenge

Every child experiences a period where they want to hide from things that are challenging – whether it is school related, or peer related, or whatever – of which the time and duration is different for everyone.

For me this lasted very long, into a time where a person should have developed some kind of common sense but still be brave enough to take on new challenges.

My resistance to challenges was amplified, I believe, by a combination of things – growing up in a very sheltered existence, an unhealthy attitude towards failure, not really having to struggle for things, not wanting to attract negative attention, not wanting to be ridiculed. Despite normal adolescent issues, I’ve never really had to (or wanted to) fight for anything, and I kind of floated through those years, contented to be content and under the radar.

While this kind of approach may protect you from extreme disappointment, it also deprives you from experiencing overwhelming happiness and a great sense of achievement. It took a long time for me to realize that the most difficult and challenging experiences, more so than easy successes, have made me discover my strengths and abilities (some that I never thought possible for me to possess).

This may have come at an unusually late stage in my life, but I am happy to at last be in a space where I am not afraid to say, “Bring it on!”