By Michelle Sedas

Imagine if the next time you were faced with an obstacle, confronted with adversity or thrown into a difficult situation you were not filled with a sense of dread. Imagine if, instead, you were filled with hope and optimism. Optimism for the invaluable insights to be revealed and hope that in the future, something positive would come from the situation. What if you took on that obstacle, focused your energy to get through it and looked forward to the personal growth, gain in self confidence and resulting fortune on the other side.

Imagine if, when the storms of life came rolling in, you stand boldly: feet firmly planted in the ground, confidence filling your thoughts, arms lifted toward the sky and welcome the rain.

Here are five ways to sur confidence building and Welcome The Rain!

1. Welcome Adversity:

In every life, rain will come. You do not need to intentionally seek these tough challenges nor do you desire to face the difficulties. When the rain does come, it is our human nature to allow these times to get the best of us, to overwhelm us, to cause us to sink. However, when we can appreciate these challenging times and respect their value in our lives, we choose to weather the storms. Looking beyond the current difficulty and realize that these challenging times will make you stronger, build confidence, allow you to grow, and equip you with additional abilities on your journey to success and personal development. Open your eyes with optimism. Understand that ultimately you are in control of the way you respond to and think about any event in your life. You have the freedom to choose to take on adversity and come out on top.

2. Welcome Controversy:

Life in Utopia is peaceful, gentle, kind, and full of harmony. Everyone thinks the same way and holds the same beliefs. Dissention is non-existent and agreement runs rampant. We do not live in Utopia. Our real-life existence is full of controversy and challenges. And while controversial times cause tension, keep us in a state of anxiety, and encourage contention, they generally lead to improvement and innovation. Differing views, opinions, and beliefs add texture and color to the world’s tapestry. Controversial times, while difficult to weather, can change the world.

3. Welcome Stress:

Stress can be useful in numerous ways. Engineers test the strength of products by applying stress. During testing, the engineer is able to find the weak spots. These weak spots can then be reinforced to make the material stronger. Similarly, cardiac stress tests measure the heart’s blood flow during exercise (stress) as opposed to during periods of rest. Doctors are able to detect some types of heart disease or weakness in the heart muscle after a patient undergoes stress testing. Stress can expose our weak spots and give us the opportunity to build confidence and strengthen our character or abilities.

4. Welcome Delay:

Have you ever been stuck in traffic and as the minutes pass, while you remain motionless, you begin to fume? “I’m going to be late!” Now imagine if this delay that you’re experiencing is actually helping you by keeping you out of harm’s way. From our perspectives, we may not be able to see the whole picture. Often, we do not know what lies just down the road. Welcome delay for it may be exactly what you need at the time. Practice patience during delays. Use your time elsewhere on something more beneficial than fuming.

5. Welcome The Rain:

Let this story inspire you to Welcome The Rain!

I was seven years old and my mother and I were out running errands. As my mother drove, the storm clouds opened up and the noon sky became a menacing black. Large raindrops began to splatter onto the windshield. When she was eventually unable to see, my mother pulled off onto the side of the road. Soon, small, pea-sized hail was falling. When the large quarter-sized hail stones pummeled the top of our car, I was in tears. Happily, smiling, my mother told me that if the hail damaged our car, we could get a new paint job. “Isn’t this great? And if the hail breaks our windshield, we can get a new car!” The joy in my mother’s face was contagious. Huddled in the back seat with a blanket over our heads, we listened as the hail fell. With each crash, we shrieked with delight. “Yea! A new car! Come on! We want more!” As the hail intensified, so did our applause. Clapping, screaming, smiling, hoping… my mother, in a time of crisis, to protect her little girl from being afraid…Welcomed The Rain.

MICHELLE SEDAS is the author of the best-selling book Welcome The Rain and coauthor of The Power of 10%. She is also host of Inspired Living Café.