You think you need more money, more time, or more help. False. You need more problems. Problems force you to get creative.

When people think about achieving their goals, they focus on everything working against them. They don't have enough time. They don't have enough money. They don't have the right connections. They see their challenges as roadblocks to success.

But here's what most people miss: navigating challenges creatively is one of the most powerful strategies you can develop. Some of the most successful people became stronger not in spite of their challenges, but because of them.

You must use your challenges and let them guide you toward success. Here's the caveat: if you only focus on how challenging or impossible life is, you'll stay stuck. But if you keep asking what you can gain from these challenges, you'll find yourself on a better path.

Think about it like this: every professional gardener has calluses on their hands. Those calluses show they did the work. In the same way, success can be defined as navigating challenges to get positive results.

Consider the evidence. Many successful businesspeople have dyslexia or learning disabilities. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team and wasn't even the number one NBA pick. Tom Brady was picked 199th in the NFL draft and named his production company 199 Productions. Oprah was told she was too emotional to be on television.

The greatest lessons in life come from adversity. If you listen hard enough, every challenge can teach you something and make you stronger. You just have to be willing to listen, learn, be creative, and put in the work.

Two people can go through a breakup. One becomes jaded while the other decides to improve their life and build better relationships. Two people can experience professional failure—getting laid off or watching their business collapse. One person upgrades their skills and learns how to succeed, while the other blames the world and never tries again.

When I grew up, I didn't feel the weight of my disability until my early college career. In my twenties, I wondered what it would be like to hustle for work, to jot down notes quickly, to use my hands to figure things out tactilely. I wrongly assumed there was no advantage to having a disability. At the time, I felt I only had a fraction of the abilities that my non-disabled peers had.

I didn't realize that dealing with my disability forced me to learn and observe life from a different vantage point. Because I couldn't interact with the world the way others do, I was learning differently. Instead of going fast and hustling, I was thinking deeper. Instead of figuring things out through trial and error, I was learning how to think critically and analyze deeply.

In football, coordinators often watch the game from the booth rather than the sidelines. They can see the game more clearly when they're not close up. I view my journey the same way. I watch people succeed or not succeed. My disability gives me a unique vantage point.

For years, I was frustrated that I couldn't interact with the world the way I wanted. Now, I realize it's my advantage. It's my superpower.

Think about blind people who develop better hearing and improve their other senses so they can read Braille. Some can even navigate busy streets with nothing more than a cane or a guide dog. Deaf people can develop better sight and even read lips.

A good crisis counselor probably isn't going to come from an Ivy League school and a country club family. A good crisis counselor is likely someone who's seen some difficult things along the way.

When it comes to raising kids, it's not about removing every obstacle in their path. It's about letting them navigate challenges. As a young adult, getting fired, being challenged by a boss, or even having a terrible breakup can be the best thing for you.

Instead of obsessing about everything wrong with your life, understand the challenges you face and find a way to navigate them. Listen and embrace the messages your challenges are telling you. Deal with them creatively.

Go out there and creatively deal with challenges. Your constraints aren't holding you back—they're making you a genius.