Saturday, March 16, 2013

Problems - Challenges

Update after my previous post on license hunt - I received my license by post last week :) (Alls well that ends well)

Just back from a nice trip to Langkawi and Penang in Malaysia, shall blog about it in later posts.

For now just want to share something I came across in a Child Enrichment center notice board. They were providing assurance to train the kids to "face problems as challenges"

The phrase triggered my interest. As we often hear 'Who does not have problems?' But do we all face them as challenges?

Mostly we sulk at them, put the blame on time, fate and the planets and then spend a whole lot of our energy lamenting about them. If we start taking every problem in life as a challenge say like a video game where  we need to get to the next level no matter what, wouldn't our energies be channeled towards a much more meaningful direction?

Actually kids dont need this sort of training. They naturally are like that. Nothing deters them.
One just needs to observe a child with fever. When the temperature shoots , he would lie curled like a ball on his mother;s lap. The moment it subsides, he would be back on his toes and start running around, his cheery self back in place. What would we adults do, proclaim to the whole world that we are not well, make a hue and cry about our physical pain, curse the pollution around and keep magnifying every small discomfort that we have.

Observe a child learning to walk. No matter how many times he falls or whatever problems he faces in doing so, he will find a way out and he will not stop attempting no matter what!

How would life be if things happened all the time without any hassle? Level 1 of the video game always? Problems pose challenges and with them we grow into better, more mature persons.

Next time we are in the middle of any problem, lets consciously analyze how we are dealing with it. Perhaps it would be a lot more easier to face and solve!

29 comments:

  1. Very valid points! Agree completely with what you mentioned here. It is all about our outlook. The last book that I had read had a very interesting thought it takes what you have mentioned in the last line, a step ahead. It said that instead of saying, 'I have to go to work. I have to brush my teeth'... if we say, 'I want to go to work, it's going to be a beautiful day! or I want to brush my teeth so that I feel fresh'... changes the entire essence of our actions and the spirit in which we make it happen.

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    1. These little things do make a difference if we actually follow them . Living in the moment and enjoying every moment in life would go a long way in making us better and happier people

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  2. Veri nyc post... Nd motivational..post for aal who blame god destiny fr their prblms but when we.. Face prblm as challange life will be.. So grt bt sometime it is tough job ... Keep writing.. Nd congo you get ur liences...:)

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  3. Very well written, Jaishree... As you rightly pointed out, kids don't need to be taught to face problems as challenges. They do it naturally. It's only when we grow up do the challenges turn into problems. That's why the saying goes 'Don't grow up... it's a trap.'

    Cheers :)

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    1. It's a trap indeed ! Instead of learning valuable lessons from these kids the world always concentrates on 'educating' them

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  4. WEll written!
    Often the response to problems depends on one's perspective towards it. If one were to view their problems as opportunities, we wouldn't have people who end up being depressed ;)

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  5. So true, Jayashree!
    Kids are natural fighters..it is we who need to learn to deal better.

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  6. Absolutely true, Jaishree! What is life without challlenges! Looking forward to read about Langkawi( The Dataran Lang!!) and Penang soon:)

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  7. Nice one Jaish. One more example that came to my mind was learning languages. Children pick up languages so effortlessly while we struggle with grammar books and dictionaries, courses and what not.

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  8. Very well said Jaish. We often concentrate more on the issues than the solutions :)

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  9. Very interesting Jaish and want to think like that from now on. I usually stick to -this too shall pass :)

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    1. FOr some problems, we will have to stick to that Bhagyashree depending on the seriousness and possibility of a solution.

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  10. Kids are natural. They don't know that there is an option to procrastinate or crib about. Anything new is exciting for them! They don't have responsibilities or know that there could be consequences. But then they grow up :( And then comes fear of change, fear of taking risks, consequences - long term planning, "What if" scenarios and the like! It would be nice to always stay that way, as children, unafraid of doing something, wouldn't it? :)

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  11. That's truly inspiring...Jaish!Indeed, life would be so monotonous without challenges!Waiting for your travelogue now!

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  12. Wonderful post!! Agree with you completely!!

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  13. so, moral of the story: just look at your kids and learn..hehe..just kidding, Jaish. Very good observations..we all do that but we don't realise and analyze the out come of their behaviour. :)
    Btw, congratulations on your license. Next time I am halting at Singapore, are you gonna take me on a city tour? :)

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    1. Yes I will , done deal :) thanks for the comments FiF :)

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  14. Thinking of problems as challenges is always a good concept! You are right that younger kids have a lot of enthusiasm for life, but many older kids often give up very easily when they see that things aren't going their way! Maybe they imbibe that attitude from the grownups! :D

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  15. Nice observation brilliantly said. Kudos! :)

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  16. First, congrats on the license. Go enjoy the roads of Singapura!!!

    I'm gonna take 'face problems as challenges' very, very seriously. Thank you for sharing that with us and convincing us to face problems the right way.

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