How To Grow Through What You Go Through

We all face difficult and trying times. It is a part of life. Most of us, however, miss the lessons these difficulties can teach. In this article, you will learn how to grow through what you go through so that you can come out of the storm stronger, wiser, and much better off.

Growing Through What You Are Going Through

Shift Your Perspective

It’s easy to stay down and in the dumps when you are going through tough times. Our thoughts will tell us, “Things will never get better,” “I’ll always have to deal with this,” or “I’ve tried everything.” Keeping this perspective will prevent us from learning and growing. Grow through what you go through by shifting your perspective. Instead of letting these types of limiting thoughts plague your mind challenge yourself to think outside the box. A great way to do this is to ask yourself, “What haven’t I tried?” This question will immediately shift your perspective and cause you to use your mind to figure a way out.

Many people spend years stuck in a bad situation. Maybe it’s bad health or perhaps you’ve been stuck in bad relationships. People stay stuck and experience the same difficulties in life because they fail to look at things differently. You cannot expect different results if you do not change something. What haven’t you tried? What else can you do? Do some soul searching and figure out what that is.

Challenge Your Fears To Grow Through What You Go Through

Fear will keep you from growing and learning through difficult times. Typically, there are some hard decisions to be made and scary steps to be taken in order to grow. Ask yourself, “What am I afraid of and how is fear holding me back?” Really dig deep with this.

I know someone who has always struggled with money. He made quite a bit of it but always found himself in the hole. That was his biggest struggle in life and he was tired of drowning in debt and worrying about paying his bills. It wasn’t until he figured out what his fear was and faced it that he was able to grow and pull himself out of this never-ending struggle. What he found was that he was afraid of letting his family down. He grew up with nothing so he wanted to give his family the best vacations, gifts, and experiences. He feared that his kids and his wife would be miserable if they couldn’t do those things. When he faced this fear and overcame it, he was able to get his financial life in order.

What is your fear? What is holding you back? Once you figure those out, here are a couple of things you can do to overcome fear and grow through what you go through:

• Challenge your fears. How likely is it that you fear will happen? For my friend, he feared that his family would be miserable without the finer things in life. What he found was that this was completely untrue. This made overcoming his fear much easier.
• Visualize a better outcome. Typically when we imagine our fears, we visualize the worst. Change this around and visualize the best possible outcome. Stop letting worst-case scenarios dominate your thoughts. Imagine the best happening for you.

Look in the Mirror

When going through difficult times, many people fail to grow through what they go through because they see themselves as powerless and blameless. You can never completely control what happens to you but you are not without blame or responsibility in some way. You are not a complete victim so do not see yourself as one. How have you contributed to your struggles? Is it a decision you made or failed to make? Have you put up with something without taking a stand? Maybe you let things slide with others when you shouldn’t have.

Seeing yourself as someone who is at least partially responsible is a hard pill to swallow for many people. It is so much easier to be a victim and complain about life. It’s time to look in the mirror. How are you responsible? Once you are completely honest with yourself, your life will change. The power will be in your hands to do something about the way things are.

Lean on Your Support System To Grow Through What You Go Through

We don’t have to go through difficulties alone. I am guilty of this one. I’ve always tried to handle things on my own. Over the years I’ve found that I struggled to get through tough times more than I should have. I still have to remind myself that there are others in my life that can help.

One of the major benefits of leaning on your support system is that they can see things that you cannot. They have a different perspective that you can tap into that will allow you to learn the lesson these trying times are trying to teach. There are some things to be careful of when leaning on others, however. You have to make sure that these people really have your back and care for your well-being.

Surround yourself with people who will not judge you and will always have your back. You also want someone who will call you out on your B.S. if need be as well. An enabler is just as bad as someone who purposely tries to sabotage your efforts. On the other hand, avoid seeking support from those who hold things over your head. If you feel bad about yourself after spending time with them, then do not rely on them. Here are some other signs of a toxic support system to watch out for. 

Conclusion

You may be going through difficult times right now but do not let them by without learning what it has to teach you. Grow through what you go through by shifting your perspective, challenging your fears, looking in the mirror, and leaning on your support system.

How would your life change if you can grow through what you go through? Let me know in the comments below.