30 Little Challenges for Finishing the Year Strong

Think a little less about managing your problems and a little more about managing your focus.

Ready to finish the year strong?

Inner peace and progress are both built through small daily victories. It’s the individual choices we make day to day that make us whole in the long run. Yes, the happiness of your life ultimately depends on the quality of your daily actions.

So for the days and weeks ahead, challenge yourself to focus on one or more of these:

1. When a new day begins, challenge yourself to smile genuinely and gratefully.
2. When you don’t get what you want, challenge yourself to appreciate that there are lots of people in this world who will never have what you have right now.
3. When holding on no longer seems reasonable, challenge yourself to appreciate the fact that nothing in life is permanent, and to realize that once you embrace this you can do almost anything you wish, because you’re not trying to hold onto anything anymore.
4. When you catch yourself thinking the grass is greener elsewhere, challenge yourself to water the grass you’re standing on.
5. When you absolutely can’t control what’s happening to you, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what’s happening—in your response is your power.
6. When it seems like problems are stacking up, challenge yourself to face these problems positively.
7. When there seems to be little hope, challenge yourself to find some.
8. When the road ahead seems too rough, challenge yourself to acknowledge that there’s absolutely nothing about your present circumstances that prevents you from making progress, one small step at a time.
9. When you catch yourself overthinking things, challenge yourself to take a step forward instead.
10. When you are completely uncertain about what the future will bring, challenge yourself to make the best and most positive use of the present.
11. When you have two good choices, challenge yourself to go with the one that scares you the most, because that’s the one that is going to help you grow.
12. When you are going to do something—anything at all—challenge yourself to do it with enthusiasm and devotion.
13. When others say your ideas are crazy, challenge yourself to do what feels right anyway, to not care if your goals seem crazy to others, and to remember that the crazy ideas are the ones that often have the greatest impact.
14. When there are lots of excuses for why you can’t get it done, challenge yourself to focus on all the reasons why you must make it happen.
15. When you find yourself wishing for instant gratification, challenge yourself to admit that if you could have it all instantly, it would not be worth having – for the real value of accomplishment is in the accomplishing.
16. When mistakes are made, challenge yourself to learn from them, laugh about them, and waste not a minute on past outcomes you can’t control.
17. When you find yourself trying to control too much, and thus enjoying too little, challenge yourself to let go, relax, take a deep breath and appreciate “what is” for a while. (Read Loving What Is.)
18. When there is needless drama and negativity surrounding you, challenge yourself to look the other way.
19. When your own negativity tries to break through, challenge yourself to recall that you are in control of the way you look at life, and then use your struggles and frustrations to motivate yourself rather than annoy yourself.
20. When you find yourself running in place attempting to fix and fight the old, challenge yourself to build and grow something new instead.
21. When doing the wrong things is easier, challenge yourself to do the right thing, even if no one else will ever know—because YOU will know.
22. When you catch yourself praying for an easy life, challenge yourself to pray for the strength to endure a difficult one that’s worth living.
23. When everything seems jumbled and rushed, challenge yourself to take a step back so you can see things clearly again.
24. When you meet someone new, challenge yourself to be patient with them, to pay attention to them, and to remember that everyone you meet has something important to teach you.
25. When you don’t like someone, challenge yourself to identify an insecurity within yourself that they are triggering.
26. When someone treats you poorly, challenge yourself to treat them with kindness and respect anyway – not because they are nice, but because you are (and then walk the other way if you must).
27. When a negative situation gets emotional, take a deep breath, and challenge yourself to remember that inner peace begins the moment you decide not to let another person or event control your emotions.
28. When someone you meet is lost, challenge yourself to help them find their way.
29. When a friend falls down, challenge yourself to be the first to extend a hand.
30. When each day has ended, challenge yourself to appreciate that you have done your very best. (Marc and I discuss this in more detail in the “Self-Love” chapter of the NEW edition of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

Your turn…

Will you embrace these challenges in the days ahead?

Which one resonates the most right now?

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts with the community.