Everything happens for a reason

Life can never be perfect — for any of us. There will be plenty of ups and downs.

by Brian Zahn — 

Does it ever cross your mind why one day everything seems so wonderful and the next it goes awry? Do you ever think there must be a higher purpose for what is taking place in your life at any given time?

There is an old saying that “everything happens for a reason.” Some of us believe this to be true and live accordingly in inner peace and harmony, while others ignore it and live by the seat of their pants — in chaos.

Life can never be perfect — for any of us. There will be plenty of ups and downs. These ebbs and flows are simply called challenges. We all face them to different degrees, but they present themselves exactly when we need them.

What are these challenges about? When you look closely, you will understand that they represent a time when we must face our fears, weaknesses and any negativity we are holding onto. If everything around us is changing, we too must change. We have to learn and grow each day, while adopting new perspectives that will enhance our lives.

These challenges help us keep learning about ourselves and growing into more well-rounded persons. There is no more hiding and sweeping unpleasant or painful things under the rug and ignoring our circumstances. If we do this, aren’t we just fooling ourselves by believing our challenges will simply go away? If you are inclined to believe this, then perhaps deep down you probably know that things will eventually catch up with you.

So what can you do? When you find yourself faced with a challenge, realize this is only an obstacle to help you move forward. First, utilize your positive strengths. And always know that you can ask for help and there is no shame in it. The Internet is a great place to start investigating.

By dealing with your weaknesses and negativity, you will shift your focus toward being more proactive, while taking responsibility for your actions. Once you do this, you will realize that fear, anxiety, self-doubt and procrastination have begun to disappear and what you were worried about was not such a big deal after all. You will then see that once you have faced the challenge, you will be a better person for it and feel happier, with less anxiety in your life. Who would not want that?

Life is surely amazing if you take the time to recognize and embrace challenges as times to learn and grow. Children understand this because they are in a constant flow of change. Everything is a learning experience, and they make thousands of mistakes that help them learn right from wrong and become better people.

Unfortunately, the meaning of “everything happens for a reason” can get lost when we become adults, as we would much rather press the big red “Easy Button” [as seen in Staple’s TV commercials] than do the work. But the moment you start believing in this statement, the more you will realize that your circumstances provide a time to learn, grow and move forward — in real, sustaining ways.

Remember, every challenge is there for a reason, and it is time to start utilizing your greatest assets, while fine-tuning your life and fixing what is not working for you. Only by shifting away from ego and into a conscious level of awareness will you realize that life’s possibilities are truly endless. In the end, you will be one step closer to true happiness.

Brian J. Zahn is a professional and certified life coach, author and motivational speaker. www.bethekey.net, 480-254-5000 or [email protected].

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 28, Number  5, Oct/Nov 2009.