Challenging experiences develop character, strength and confidence

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. John Steggell
  • 22nd Airlift Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  "Do not pray for easy lives.  Pray to be stronger men," said John F. Kennedy. 

Challenging experiences present an opportunity and an occasion for personal and professional growth.  When faced with these, will we let them defeat us?  Will we decline the challenge?  Or, will we seek them out and accept them, overcome them and, therefore, become stronger, more experienced and wise?

If you answered 'no' to all but the last question above, you've got the right attitude and will continue to grow, develop, thrive and succeed not only in today's Air Force, but in life.

On February 7, 1963, then President, John F. Kennedy remarked at the 11th Annual Presidential Prayer Breakfast, "...let us remember the advice of my fellow Bostonian, the Reverend Phillips Brooks:  Do not pray for easy lives.  Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks."

What former President Kennedy reiterates in his statement above is don't sit back and hope for the good life; but that strength, wisdom and an ability to succeed and be resilient is rooted in a life full of challenges. And, that we should seek and accept tasks that exceed our current level of proficiency, training and expertise. 

At no time in my Air Force career is it more apparent the importance of continuous self-improvement, professional development and an overall demonstration of sustained exceptional performance.  This cannot be accomplished without accepting challenges, including those that the Air Force deliberately levies upon us, such as Professional Military Education and off-duty education.

Former President Kennedy went on to state that "we are builders of the future."  This applies today, just as it did then. We must accept the challenges of our generation, and in the context of our Air Force service, this means doing what we are asked, even if it is not necessarily in our area of expertise, or specifically relevant to our current job.  We must avail ourselves to challenges, accept them and prepare ourselves for execution of the mission, whatever that happens to be.

My challenge to you is this, place yourself outside your comfort zone, in any capacity of life. Know where your own mental, emotional, physical and intellectual capacities lie and if you don't know these limits, find them. Otherwise, how will you ever know what you are capable of?  

If you've ever seen the Jonathan Goldsmith commercial titled "On Careers" (you likely know him as "The most interesting man in the world," Dos Equis advertising), he states, "Find out what it is in life that you don't do well and then don't do that thing." 
I would argue the opposite. Identify what you don't do well and challenge yourself to do it better. Study, learn, and practice until you are an expert and a master of whatever subject it is that challenges you.

My message is this, don't look for the easy road in life if you are serious about success.  Accept failures as your own and learn from them. Be deliberate about your personal and professional growth and seek out challenges. Set realistic and attainable goals.  Place yourself outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself to develop character, strength and confidence. You will ultimately become stronger men and women as a result.