What if challenges come into your life at the same rate as the aptitude you have to tackle them?
Think of the games you play. They are most enjoyable when you play people who have roughly your own level of skill. Playing with those that are much better or much worse is either frustrating or tedious.
Think of the workplace. We all like to be challenged just enough to better our game – but not so much that we give up and become despondent.
– You come unstuck when you try to tackle challenges that are way beyond you.
– You have a limited patience threshold for things that do not challenge you.
Dan Pink articulated the three most important thing to motivate people in the workplace: Autonomy, MASTERY and Purpose.
Mastery is all about taking on new challenges that stretch you – but don’t stretch you so much that you lose the plot or lose the game so often that you give up.
Maybe life’s a game where every challenge we face has just the right amount of challenge to keep us improving?
Makes you think the next time you face a challenge that seems impossible. Go for it! It might not be as difficult as you first thought.
