It’s easier to deal with challenges when you have positive habits of perception, such as Embracing Reality and seeing life as Being on a Journey.

People often create challenges where they don’t exist. When a person looks at difficulties with fear, distrusts others, or doesn’t feel they have the skills to cope, simple choices become enormous challenges.

The inability to deal with these challenges begins with deciding if something is truly challenging. Is your teenager’s behavior a challenge or a normal part of growing up? Can you learn a new skill for a project at work, or do you feel left behind?

The reality of any challenge is that it is not always as bad as it appears. Sometimes challenges can help you do and be better. If you look at success and failure as part of life’s journey, challenges aren’t roadblocks. Instead, challenges become opportunities to move forward or change direction on your investment journey. Psychology Today magazine identified how a person perceives success and failure as a significant component of how they deal with life’s challenges.

How well you control your emotions and responses depends on these personal habits: Patience, Focus, and Growth.

Patience: Not all challenges can be solved quickly. Life isn’t a microwave or speedy delivery service! Some challenges take time to overcome. Being patient and recognizing that you may need to work at a solution over time helps you deal with many challenges.

Focus: A person who can focus on the most critical aspects of dealing with challenges will have an easier time than someone who tries to do everything at once. Some challenges need to be dealt with systematically. Imagine your car breaking down: you have to fix the car, melting ice cream, and a child late for practice. In what order do you deal with these? Calling roadside assistance first might solve the car problem, which then helps with the practice problem. You can eat the melting ice cream while you wait!

Growth: Being committed to personal growth is another important habit. When you look at every situation and ask yourself what you can do instead of what you can’t do, you accept challenges and deal with them better. Practicing commitment and being willing to grow and learn to meet challenges is a personal habit necessary to deal with them.

If a person doesn’t build a support system, they are left without helpful resources. You can create a support system by Being Active in Relationships and Giving Back.

Being Active in Relationships: Who is going to come to your aid when you face a serious life challenge? Are you confident that your family and friends will help? The habit of cultivating and building solid relationships gives you a support system when times are tough. If you haven’t invested in your relationships, you will find yourself alone.

Giving Back: In life, people often get what they give. If a person is known as untrustworthy or cruel, other people are not going to feel connected enough to offer help. But if people see them as someone who gives back to the community by volunteering, donating, or offering assistance, they are more likely to help. Practicing a habit of care and concern helps build a support network you may someday need.