So… I’d say at most other points in my life, the word “challenge” would have been toxic to my system. It has so much “belief” around it –
- You need to OVERCOME the challenge…
- MEET the challenge
- CONQUER the challenge
- WIN! WIN the challenge!!!
Ick.
But like most words, with multiple definitions, part of my journey has been to intentionally re-perceive and re-craft for my thriving.
It’s very different to overcome the challenge to survival of starvation and famine (survival) and Rise to the Challenge of discovering and exploring and nourishing myself with the energies (food, physical, emotional, spiritual) to nourish my thriving.
My heart and soul are immediately “depressed” by pretending that a situation is a survival one when it really… isn’t. My relationship with food, for example, is challenging. It is for most people. Actually, I don’t personally know anyone where it isn’t challenging!
But I also am not personally close to anyone who is at risk of famine and starvation. I am aware they exist in the world, but it is definitely my job to make sure my primitive brain doesn’t drive the food truck. 
So…
Rise to the Challenge to me is, yes, finding rewards in what I learn about what nourishes me, what is yummy but hard to digest, and even what I crave that is like a metaphor or poor replacement for what I might need nutritionally (we can crave certain foods when we need certain vitamins or minerals or amino acids) or emotionally (if I feel a lack of sweetness emotionally, I’ll crave butter cream frosted vanilla cake… it’s so predictable!).
There’s a gain, reward, for engaging with myself that way. I start seeing myself less judgmentally. Accepting and Adapting.
I build strength. “Fuck this, I don’t have to for survival… for me or them. I am choosing to raise my energy up because NOW, (what) matters to me.”
I did Rise to the Challenge of taking a morning mile. I’m about to Rise to the Challenge of adding resistance training (weights) to build more mobility and physical capacity. What I don’t do / can’t do is “force” myself to “overcome” a negative challenge. Rising into a choice, a long-term lifestyle design for decades of well-being… yeah, that activates me.
I’ll close for now with this. When I noticed my body was not moving sufficiently for my well-being, if someone like Rick said, “Well, consider rising to that challenge” I’d have, well, needed a deeper explanation. I sense that those years ago, what I’ve written here would have made sense to me where I was. It would have started supporting the re-cast of “challenge” from something that indicated a “problem,” to something that will ask of my energy, focus, and love. Rising into that.
And… the doorway back then, that “rose” within me… was Simple Uplifts. Because what my soul asking was for replenishment, yin nourishment, and a sense that there was beauty to be savored here and now – not in some far off time after I had “conquered” some challenge.
The Morning Mile is activated by what matters to me – in my core. Yes, it is a challenge to cultivate new patterns (I’m human). The skill comes from focusing on engaging what matters to me (not even avoiding ‘earlier death’ is enough to get me to act). When we tap into Source Energy for what matters, then the “rising” feels as natural as a flower turning into the sun and a tree reaching for the heavens. It’s ‘natural’ – not forced.
Thanks for engaging!
Rick