The way in which you interpret things that happen to you affects your ability to deal with them. When something difficult or negative happens to you, you can choose between classifying it as a “problem” or as a “challenge”. Challenges are exciting and they motivate us to take action and to learn from our experience. Problems on the other hand make us depressed and paralyses us from doing what is necessary to solve the situation.
We all interpret what we see in different ways. Even when two people experience exactly the same situation, they usually describe it differently. How we interpret what happens in our lives influence our abilities to choose appropriate responses. For example, if you think of your mad boss as a big problem you will probably do your best to avoid him/her and do things your own way instead. In contrast, if you would look at your mad boss as a challenge to learn something from, you might try to listen to him/her extra carefully in order to understand his/her point of view. As a result you might develop a good relationship with the person that you at first thought was rather strange, AND you will learn skills in listening, communication and cooperation in the process.
Questions for you to think about:
Do you have any problems in your own life?
Is there any way in which you could reinterpret them as challenges?
What do you think the consequences would be if you did this?