Does your career or life feel flat, like something is lacking? Perhaps you aren’t being challenged enough. Sure you have goals, but are you playing it safe?  How excited are you to achieve those goals?  Are you striving for something truly demanding and amazing?  As human beings, we are energized by a real challenge. That’s what makes work and life fun. That’s why we get addicted to the latest and greatest video game, at least until it’s no longer a reach for us. Once we figure out how to beat the game or our high score, the thrill is gone, and it’s no longer stimulating.

We must continue to challenge ourselves at work and in life in order to grow and feel alive. This doesn’t mean taking on a bigger workload of the same type of work we are already doing. Nor does it mean taking on something that is so overwhelming and daunting to us that it causes distress. It means getting inspired to find a new challenge at work or in our personal lives that stretches us to make a bigger impact to our company, our customers, our family, our well-being, our community, or the world. When we are focused on a challenge that motivates us, we lose ourselves in that pursuit. Time seems to fly by, yet we are full of energy and enthusiasm. We feel like we are making a contribution and have a purpose.

According to Brendon Burchard in his book The Charge, there are five criteria for challenges that make us feel truly alive:

1. Singularity of focus – They require our full, undivided attention and concentration in the moment.
2. Stretch of effort and capability – They demand slightly more than the best of our current skills and strengths.
3. Scoring of performance – Having the ability to know how we are doing by self-assessing or getting external feedback.
4. Sense of completion – There is a deadline or finish line to shoot for.
5. Sharing of experience and result – Talking about and celebrating our triumph over our challenge with others who cheered us on.

Challenge yourself by learning a new skill that’s fascinating to you, tackling a new and exciting project at work, or taking on a bold physical feat like training for a marathon – something that you’ve always wanted to learn or do, but didn’t think you could. You might just surprise yourself and find your inner spark once again.

 “Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.”  – General George S. Patton

 “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller