When the going gets tough, the tough get going: Rise up to the Challenge!

“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it” — Winston Churchill

To make the most of your career, weave the above words into your everyday life. When you stick to safe and comfortable in your life, your potential stays unfulfilled and you risk stagnation. Anything that is safe and comfortable never pressurizes you to rise to the occasion and deliver your best. Without the resistance, you won’t be able to discover all the new possibilities in a situation.

This is especially true in the world of software development and testing. With the IT sector expanding at such a drastic rate, the technology used is becoming a vital part of our lives and a significant driving force behind the global economy.

Technical knowledge is easy to acquire through academical learning but the proficiencies that are required for establishing your expertise are achieved over time when you push yourself and rise to challenges. The tools that are basic requirements to help you deliver your best are a problem-solving mindset and a disciplinary approach to resolve a problem.

When it comes to a tough challenge, here are a few pointers to help you rise to the occasion at hand.

1. Keep “For Action” mindset: Exploring the advantages and the disadvantages of any new challenge before delving into it is a must. Go through the necessary material and consult the best people on the subject to get some advice from them. It is easier to perform a task once you are aware of what it is that you’re dealing with. This is simplified if your bias toward any challenge shifts to “YES”. Not only will you be open to learning new things in a shorter span of time, but you will also grow and develop more as an individual. Also, your career skills will increase by a lot, thanks to your open attitude toward challenges. Saying yes to new challenges makes you visible in a crowd of people who prefer to stay in their comfort zone. It also allows you to interact with more people, giving you a much greater opportunity to learn.
2. Ingredients to Success: There will always be a certain number of things that need to be present, or satisfied, to improve your chances of success. Learn to identify those and ensure that you are in control of those aspects. Having knowledge of these aspects make it easier for you to successfully complete the challenge along with best interests of your organization. Before you start working on a new challenge, remember to have a clear perspective about what is considered as success in the challenge and don’t be afraid to ask for the resources you think you will need to achieve success.
3. Don’t overwork: You have already taken the challenge, and no one will be expecting you to complete it in a day. So, don’t try to overwork yourself for the challenge. Proper management of time and resources is crucial to succeed in any challenge. But work wiser and smart.
4. Calm and Focused: When you’re facing a challenge, your mind is the most important resource you have. Then it goes without saying that keeping calm and focused is one of the first and most important steps in dealing with a challenge. When your brain is in control you can observe the things around you better, and respond to them appropriately. Staying calm also allows you to be more creative and channel your energies sin the right direction.
5. Work Professionally:When everything around you is new, it’s easy to fall prey to what is being said about you. However, it is best for you to ignore such kinds of situations and find peace in yourself and your work. It will also allow you to be more focused and complete your work more efficiently. In workplace situations, all that ultimately matters is the end goal, so as long as you don’t let things affect you and keep working, your results will show.
6. You learn faster under pressure: Remember the times during your college days when preparing for exam on the last night? The concentration is immense and suddenly things begin to fall in right place, it makes sense to you and you have higher focus on the things that are important. Always prioritization and focus will help you achieve the goal.

Now that you know the best way to face new challenges, look for any new opportunity that is floated around in your organization. Better yet, accept the challenges that have already made their way to you. Taking up new challenges and delivering your best is the ultimate way to keep learning, keep growing, and keep moving forward. It also boosts your confidence to a great extent.