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The photograph is my son Allen climbing the BCMC trail on the mountains of North Vancouver, BC. Allen is goofing around in this picture and it wasn’t long ago that either climbing the steep trail or lifting the log he is holding were insurmountable challenges for Allen. My children are an inspiration to me as I watch them be challenged and then rise above the challenge to achieve personal growth.

As a parent, it is often easy to see your children’s challenges. And to know how to help them overcome the current challenge. What about when you have your own? Then it is not so easy.

I have been going through my own personal challenges lately. New professional challenges have kept me up at night. There has been anxiety over performance fears. Building a project plan has seemed more like an exercise in frustration then positive momentum.

Days go by where I feel like I am knee deep in mud. Every step takes enormous effort as I lift my leg out of the mud, take one step forward, only to sink up to my knees in the mud once again. When I look around for a helping hand, there is no one in sight, so I have to summon the energy to lift my other leg out of the mud and take one tiny step forward.

I know from past experience that over time this will pass. Where everything seems foggy and out of focus right now, it will eventually come into focus and the fog will lift. It is pushing myself through it all that is the challenge.

Thankfully, I have a lot of supportive people that surround me. A lot of tools that my life experience has given me. And I have my children’s example to inspire me.