# Little Challenges, Big Gifts

By [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2) · 2025-07-31

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Life is like a video game.

There’s adventure. There are challenges. They are opportunities to partner. There are tasks that need to be tackled alone.

I used to think (and sometimes can’t really avoid it) that the “little stuff”, like dealing with bureaucracy or having a small leak, or trying to find the missing part to make the engine work were the “things that got in the way” of whatever I was meant to do.

Now, increasingly, I look at it differently.

Dealing with the bank. Going to the post office. Fixing the plumbing. Finding the best cereal at the right price in the right store.

Man, this IS the game.

And the way you "level up” is by _calmly_ playing. Recognizing the moments of frustration and then having the self-discipline and self-control to pause and take a deep breath.

When you feel your eyebrows and cheeks tighten. When you feel the rush of endorphins in your body, your stress levels rising, your aperture narrowing in your eyes…and then you have the power to take control back of yourself, from yourself.

That’s an unlock.

Those little challenges are opportunities, hidden inside a thornbush.

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*Originally published on [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2/little-challenges-big-gifts)*