Fighting Challenges: Indispensable Facts of Life

Every individual tries to survive in different struggles on the path of life.

No matter what kind of work one does, there are always challenges.
Some people reach their goals in a short time, while others remain stuck in the same place for years. This situation is actually related to the inner voice of the individual. Fighting against difficulties is directly related to one's willpower and resilience. Challenges may seem like defeat at first glance, but then they reveal one's inner strength.

The person realizes that he/she discovers his/her hidden skills in the face of difficulties. Thus, as they learn about their unknown potential and skills, their self-confidence increases. Each individual tries to survive in a different struggle on the path of life.

The Place of Challenges in Our Lives

Challenges are indispensable facts of life. Challenges wear us down, but they also pave the way. After hardship comes comfort. Success cannot be achieved without paying the price. As the Holy Quran states: "Do you think that you will be able to enter paradise without any hardship like those before you?" (Al-Baqarah: 214). Difficulties are the hardship of this world; ease is the comfort of the hereafter. Difficulties are what make life worth living. Without hardships, life would have no meaning. It has been said, "There is no virtue without suffering." Therefore, it is of great importance to be patient and overcome the hardships of the world. We already see the rehearsal of this by living in the world.

Life's Challenges and Ways to Overcome them

Is life really hard? Snow wouldn't be "snow" if it wasn't cold. There would be no "stone" if the stone wasn't hard. There would be no "sun" if the sun didn't burn. A person with a purpose can overcome all difficulties. Challenges reveal hidden skills and prepare people for life. Life is difficult but it can be overcome. This requires a strong will, being planned and programmed, working hard and not giving up.

Impact of Technology

Technology provides us with comfort and convenience, but it also takes away our existing skills. As many of the brain's tasks are done electronically, the brain becomes passive and this leads to its atrophy. The brain develops as it is challenged. We see the most vivid example of this in the new generation. The new generation wants to get everything ready and easy, without any difficulty and without suffering. Today's parents fulfill their children's every wish, saying , "We suffered so they don't have to". The result is a generation that consumes everything. When they don't get what they want, they rebel and revolt.

The Dangers of an Easily Obtained Life

Life that comes easy is also easy. Without labor and hard work, no return is permanent. The fall of the easily rich can lead to great disasters. Income from toto, national lottery, gambling slips away in a very short time. Not only do they disappear, but they can lead to great pain, great disaster, even death. As our ancestors said: "Things that are easily obtained are worthless. What is hard to get is precious."

Balance of Difficulty and Ease

This is clearly stated and admonished in the Holy Qur'an: "With difficulty there is ease, yes, with difficulty there is ease" (Inshirah: 5-6). Thus, the one who overcomes hardship will also achieve ease. It is important to remember that difficulties and ease never last for long. The commands we give to our brains and their follow-up lead us to our goal. As we move towards our goal, we may encounter many obstacles. Fighting them can sometimes be more difficult than fighting the enemy. Those who are aware of such situations, when they seize the opportunities, will catch the path of life for the future.

In conclusion, happiness and success are not a goal to be achieved. The real goal is to make life meaningful by fighting for it. Captaining in calm seas is easy; captaining in stormy weather is important. The way to fight hardship is to generate alternatives, to be productive, not to be idle and to work. The four enemies that prevent work are doubt, worry, laziness and complacency. Challenges are painful in the short term but relieving in the future. The root of difficulties lies in locking on to negativity and surrendering to it. As in the story of the sycamore tree, fast-growing trees die quickly.

There are 19 main rules for dealing with adversity:,

1. Have the will to overcome adversity.
2. Always have a reason to live.
3. Don't oversleep, don't have too much fun, don't overeat.
4. Don't be preoccupied with results.
5. Discover your strength and capacity.
6. Tackle difficult tasks by breaking them down into pieces.
7. Take risks.
8. Don't be afraid to make mistakes.
9. Don't worry about "I can't do it".
10. Read to learn.
11. Research successful people.
12. Start the day well.
13. Wanting is not enough, want it strongly.
14. There are extraordinary powers in human beings.
15. Do not concentrate on difficulties.
16. Do not be idle.
17. Think about the most difficult aspect of a job.
18. Why do we have to struggle with difficulties?
19. In life, you can either make dust or you can swallow dust.

From now on, the choice is yours...

MUSTAFA K. TOPALOGLU
Researcher - Author