Super skill: Transforming difficulty into growth
Why this matters today
Let’s be clear, life is not going to stop throwing hard things at you.
A difficult manager. A health scare. A tension-filled relationship. A failed project.
Some of this is everyday stress. Some of it can be real trauma.
(If what you carry feels like trauma, get professional support. Therapy is not a luxury, it is part of healing)
For the rest of your difficulties, research shows something important:
Resilience can turn struggle into growth.
Psychology calls this Post-Traumatic Growth.
You are not stuck with “this is just how it is.”
Super skill
Today’s super skill is using positive emotions to power resilience.
Not fake positivity.
Emotions like hope, contentment, and love.
Dr Barbara Fredrickson’s work shows that these emotions broaden your awareness.
You think more creatively, you see what is still working in the middle of difficulty, and you find new solutions. Over time, this builds a spiral of inner resources that support growth instead of collapse.
Here is how to practice it this week:
Step 1. Create an energised state:
Move your body, even for 10 minutes.
Sleep like it matters.
Eat in a way that gives you steady energy, not spikes and crashes.
Meditate or breathe consciously for a few minutes.
A regulated body is the ground for a resilient mind.
Step 2. Become a meaning hunter:
When something challenging happens, ask:
“What role could this play in my future decisions.”
“What is this teaching me about my boundaries, my values, or what really matters.”
You are not saying “this is good.” You are saying “I will use this.”
Step 3. Journal to accumulate learning, not just distress:
End your day with a short reflection. I call it the WIN of the day:
W = Wins of the day, what worked, or what you’re grateful for (aim for 3)
I = Improvement, the thing that can be improved (limit this to 1)
N = Next, what will you do next to work on improving that thing.
Capture even one sentence on how you might respond differently next time.
This turns raw experience into wisdom instead of rumination.
Use this with a challenging manager.
Use it when an external stressor feels out of your control.
Use it after any failure against your expectations.
Becoming Super
Becoming Super is not about liking your difficulties.
It is about becoming the kind of person who can meet hard moments and squeeze growth out of them without bypassing the pain.
When you can create small pockets of hope, contentment, and meaning inside difficulty, you become more grounded, more creative, and less afraid of life. You trust that whatever comes, you have a way to work with it.
We go deeper on this in the MBCT Course, where you practice working with difficulty in real time so you can develop the skill to meet it elsewhere.
Click here to register your interest in the upcoming MBCT Cohort starting mid-January 2026. I will let you know before registration opens and unlock early-bird pricing.
Have a Super Sunday! 💪
With much joy,
Hashim