OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE

There are lots of people especially the young folks who believe that life has handed them a raw deal. They tried all they could to make life meaningful, still things doesn’t work for them. Their lives don’t seem to get any better with each passing day. There are several obstacles on the pathway of these folks that can be seen as challenges confronting their existence and success in life. What is life? The experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities; "he could no longer cope with the complexities of life" The course of existence of an individual; the actions and events that occur in living; "he hoped for a new life in Australia"; "he wanted to live his own life without interference from others" Challenge. A call or summons to engage in any contest, as of skill, strength, etc. Something that by its nature or character serves as a call to battle, contest, special effort, etc.: Space exploration offers a challenge to humankind. What are the challenges of life? There several challenges of life facing different categories of people. Challenges differs as the issues confronting people differs, however, I will mention few general notable challenges.  Economic Challenges: We talk of economic challenge when for instance you have bills to pay, you got things to purchase, as a Student, you have school fees to pay, but you have no money and you are not from a wealthy family, this becomes a challenge, something you have to battle with. Sometimes, you don’t have money to feed, and when you see some fellow students who are living in affluence in school, you feel bad about your situation, you sometimes query your being born into a family or country. You are born into a family that does not have the economic power to pay your bills, for you to make ends meet; you have to do some buying and selling to feed, even before bills are paid. Environmental Challenge: We live in an environment where sometimes people are cruel, sometimes people see you as unfit for their class maybe because of their family background, sometimes because of religious affiliation. They see you as an outcast who cannot become anything in life. Sometimes, members of the society see you as an ignoramus, judging from your present situation or condition. There are times when you don’t need to be told, but you see yourself not matching up to mingle with some people in the society. Lack of Security: In our society today, we see the menace of thugery and robbery, the fear of moving around freely without being robbed or kidnapped is there in the society. There is no sense of security anywhere in the society. This is a challenge and a threat to the life of any individual. You are not comfortable in your own home anymore without the fear of an imminent evil existing in the environment. Inferiority Complex: An a person, when you see some individual belonging to a particular class in the society, and considering the fact that you do not possess what they possess, maybe in terms of academic qualification, financial possession or the society they belong to, you see yourself as unfit, you see them as superior to you and see yourself inferior to them. This also happens in the school, when some individuals are seen as the excellently clever ones and you see yourself as unfit to be in that class of people. You need not allow inferiority complex t tramp you down in the swamp of failure. This is a challenge that brings people down

Overcoming Challenge 1.     Set a target: The first stage is to set a target for yourself. Have a dream, have a goal set for yourself. Vision is having a mental picture of where you desire yourself to be. You must set a clear, unambiguous goal and target for yourself. 2.     Be committed: For you to amount to anything and overcome the challenges of life, you must commit yourself to your goal or dream. You must give everything to that vision or target> you must be ready to sacrifice anything for it. 3.     Stay Focused: For you to overcome the huddles and challenges of life, you must stay focused on the dream you have, there are distraction that will come your ways, all the challenges are to get you off track, all you are required to do is to see challenges as steps to the ladder of greatness. 3.     Seek Counsel: You need to seek counsel and advise from others. There are people who had passed through what you are passing through, get close to them and seek advise from them, if they could pass through the huddle, then it is not a problem. There some who are far away, you can read their books and see how they were able to overcome. 4.     Be a Positive Thinker: The challenge of live is half solved with positive thoughts. If you form the habit of thinking positively, see yourself able to do whatever others can do, even more than what others can. 5.     Don’t allow inferiority complex to rule you: See yourself as NEVER inferior to any man on the surface of the earth. See yourself as a peculiar being that can do anything. Many people feel inferior to others maybe because of wealth, colour, academic eloquence etc. The fact that someone is wealthy today doesn’t make him a perpetual wealthy person. 6.     Be Optimistic: Pessimism would do you no good. Optimistic people do not only grab opportunities that come their ways, they create them. They can see where they are and where they want to be and make conscious decisions to help themselves there. They keep their eyes on the prize. They see obstacles, which face us all, as opportunities to grow and learn. They don’t just know what they want; they expect to get it and are willing to have it. They are willing to take risk and have the reward. Example of challenged Men Yinka Ayefele: This is a man who is physically challenged; he had a spinal cord injury some years back, this is supposed to be an impediment to his great in life, however, he used his obstacle to get to a height which most of those who had complete health never got to. He is a notable musician today. Chief M.K.O Abiola: History has it that his father is very poor man who could not afford to send him to school. M.K.O have a dream of becoming great in life, he has to go and fetch fire wood to get his school fees paid. He died as a legend, philanthropist and an industrialist of high repute. Pastor Tunde Bakare: He comes from a polygamous home, his father cannot afford to send him to school, his mother happens to be a tie and die (adire) seller in Itoku, he rather did not allow his state to dictate his pace, he became a notable lawyer before he finally gave up law to answer the call of God for ministry. Conclusion:  Challenges of life are obstacles an individual needed to climb before getting to his place of celebration. Greatness is seen after a man had climbed the ladder to where he is going. Challenges are to prepare us for a better and colorful future. It is a cross that brings the crown. Challenges are not meant to break us rather to make us. We need to exercise patience and stay focused on to our dreams/vision, by so doing, we will reach the highest height.