Life is full of problems and challenges for us to work our way through. It is working through these challenges that provides us with the means to develop our full potential as human beings. Here are a few tips to help you chew your way through to success.

The first step to chewing up challenges is to recognize what actually is a challenge or problem and what isn't. I have noticed that people who don't stretch themselves enough to find real challenges start to see every day life as a challenge. The lack of challenge in their life actually breeds a sense of drama.

If you view ordinary everyday life as one huge challenge then you will overload your system with stress. The amount of stress that you have is not proportional to the real circumstance that you are in it is proportional to your reaction to the circumstances that you are in. That is why one person is constantly stressed yet another in the same situation is calm and relaxed.

If you are seeing everything as a challenge then you need to regain perspective by stretching your comfort zone and setting larger, more inspiring goals and on your way to achieving them you will encounter some real challenges that will help you put every day situations back into perspective.

If you are stretching yourself and encountering some true challenges then the next step is to ask yourself whether you actually have to go through this challenge or whether there is an easier way to go around it.

When faced with a big challenge it can be so emotionally distracting that we are fully focused on the problem and we forget to brainstorm ways of avoiding the problem altogether.

For example, a person who has the challenge that they cannot impress their boss enough to get a pay rise, or even some recognition of a job well done, may spend a lot of time and energy coming up with ways to win the recognition they deserve when what they could be doing is viewing it as a shortfall in the boss's character and changing jobs for one in a more rewarding environment.

If after doing steps 1 and 2 you conclude that you do have a true challenge that you have to meet then step 3 is to clearly define what that challenge is and then break it down into bite sized chunks.

Most big challenges can be broken into a series of small challenges that can be solved or delegated. If however you cannot break the challenge into bite sized chunks then it is time to move to steps 4 and 5; bringing in the two big guns of problem solving; your subconscious mind and expert help.

You subconscious mind has an amazing ability for seeing its way through challenges, but you have to ask it for help in the right way. Write down a clear description of the challenge. Then write down a clear description of your objective. Now read them aloud and ask you subconscious mind to provide you with the answers you need.

The best times to ask your subconscious mind for help is just before you fall asleep, just before a relaxation exercise, just before you play sport or a game that will require your conscious focus or just before a meditation session. Each of these activities takes your conscious mind away from the problem and stops it from interfering with the subconscious process of actually solving the challenge for you.

The fifth option that I mentioned was getting expert help. Part of being great at chewing up challenges is knowing who to ask for expert help and advice. Nobody achieves greatness alone. So if you can't see your way through a challenge then it may be time to park your ego to one side and seek out a more qualified or more experience person to give you help.

If you want to be able to chew up whatever challenges comes your way and come through them spitting out success then reread the five simple steps outlined above and give them a go.

James Delrojo
www.YourSuccessMind.com