I’m challenging you with what I’m challenging myself. We all deserve to have a clear mind and an open heart. We all need to see ourselves clearly through the good and bad. It’s the summer, and I’m stressed. What’s going on? Well, we’re all growing up. No one said it was going to be easy, but who said we wanted it to be easy? We’re going to find struggles, but along the way we are going to find ourselves. Challenging ourselves makes us stronger and wiser, more alert and understanding.

I challenge myself to “Yes, and…”. I recently attended my sister’s high school graduation and this was included in a student’s speech. I took my own interpretation of this statement, and I don’t know whether this is right or wrong, but it works for me. I am challenging my self to stop complaining. What’s in clear sight around us is what we take for granted, when in reality we need to use these things to our advantage and make use of them to complete our life’s “ands.” In other words, “yes,” we have accepted what’s occurring or what has happened, “and” we need to figure out how we are going to adjust it to our satisfaction. Take control. Don’t overwork yourself, but don’t undermine yourself. Don’t challenge your ability to do something, because you know you can do it. Challenge yourself to start doing it.

I challenge myself to put my phone away for at least a few hours each day. This definitely may sound childish, and you’re probably thinking, “I’m not addicted to my phone.” You probably put your phone away without thinking about it. Do you have it out when you’re working? If you do, throw it in your drawer or bag. It’s not next to me while I’m eating lunch. It’s not next to me if I’m catching a 30-minute nap. It’s funny because my grandparents still joke to me at a restaurant table saying, “I’m surprised you’re not on your phone texting.” I reply with a small grin and light laugh. In reality I’m thankful for the moments I get when I don’t have to be on my phone. I have become so dependent on my e-mail, it’s ridiculous – so does this mean I’m really growing up? I don’t sit at a table and have a “Hey, what’s up?” conversation. If I’m texting someone, it’s because they matter and what we’re talking about is actually important. I have become so reliant on my phone and it’s not because I’m anxious to see who’s going to text me next, but it’s about who’s specifically trying to contact me and why. I need to take a step back and just focus on what’s going on around me and not on my screen, because you can always press the lock button and save it for later.

I challenge myself to be superior. Be superior to the information that you can access over the Internet within a second. Be superior to the person who thinks you can’t. Be your own boss. Find your happy medium. Stop thinking you can’t, when you know you can. Be brave. Be inspired. Use what you already know to create new thoughts and new feelings. This is not something that you can physically do; it’s going to take motivation, determination, and confidence. I can do it and you can do it.

We all live differently. We all have a different thought process, but at the end of the day we are individuals. We are human. We want to love, and be loved. We want to believe we’re right even when we know we aren’t. We wish to be educated on every topic. We want to be agreed with. We want all these things, but we forget every day of what we need and that’s why we need to challenge ourselves.