The Opportunity in Challenge

Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. In today's session, we're going to talk about the opportunity that arises in difficult experiences. So I'd like to start with a statement. Being with the worst parts of life requires the best parts of you. Being with the worst parts of life requires the best parts of you.

The pain, the fear, confusion, despair, these are your opportunities to rise. And to rise doesn't have to mean pumping your chest, gritting your teeth and screaming, I can overcome anything. It might mean taking care of yourself, putting up boundaries, meeting your confusion with presence and compassion or it could just mean total surrender, the strength of surrender. The powerful thing about difficult experiences is that we tend to grasp for anything that will help us get through. But our usual life strategies often feel insufficient.

It's there for this perfect opportunity to ask yourself, what are my unique strengths? My gifts? How can I let this negative experience activate something positive and powerful in me? Perhaps something that hasn't been activated before? Remember you can focus on the pain itself, or you can focus on the goodness required to meet the pain. Hope this gives you something to consider if you're going through something difficult or for the next time you do. Thank you for your practice. Let's settle in for today's meditation.