It is as simple as the title reads.

There is no challenge that was ever accepted that never brought change to the challengee (is there such a word?).

According to one version of the English dictionary, the word challenge has been defined as, "the situation of being faced with something that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a person's ability". Another version says, "A challenge is something new and difficult which requires great effort and determination."

The two definitions above can be translated to mean that a challenge is something that can only be overcome by changing one's mentality from an old one to a new one in order to get the desired result. There is a famous Einstein quote that says, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." 

In other words, the key to overcoming challenges is change. For one to successfully overcome challenges, there are a few elements one must posses .... 

Challenges require a genuine willingness change.

Challenges require strength, mental or physical, and sometimes both. 

Challenges require boldness and courage.

Challenges require discipline and determination.

Challenges require dedication and focus.

No one ever went through a challenge successfully and remained the same. Challenges are an opportunity to rebuild a new you. In challenges we acquire new confidence. In challenges we undergo a mindset shift. In challenges we go through lots of sifting and making different (the right) choices. It is during those times when you are facing a challenge that your inner strength is revealed. Challenges help push you from one level (of comfort) to another.

I have my own fair of challenges I am dealing with even as I share this post, and I have a feeling you are too because nobody is exempt from challenges regardless of their age or gender. Whatever it is you are going through, look at the bright side of things and believe that you will pull through this and you will emerge stronger than ever before. The harder the challenge, the stronger you will be at the end of it all when you overcome that challenge. Just make sure you don't give up.

In his book, "The Devil and Miss Prym”,  Paulo Coelho had this profound message to share on challenges, “When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”

Allow me to leave you with the words of the late Martin Luther King Jnr: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy".

Face your challenges with confidence knowing that in the end, you will not be the same person. Treat your challenges like a mental workout; they give you stamina and a great physique.

Be Ignited. Be Inspired. Be Influenced. Become the best version of yourself you can ever be.