Roadblock. Bad luck. Can’t do it because…..If only…….I could have if it wasn’t for……..I didn’t expect that this would happen…….It’s too tough for me to do………
You could think of more phrases. We all have used them. It’s interesting that most times in our lives we think of obstacles as “the end” and use their eloquent description in our minds to justify our failures.
Recently I read something that made me think about this common view of obstacles. It talked about when we have a goal, an intention, or a dream that these are the things that bring our obstacles into clear view.
Obstacles never exist by themselves. They only take life when we decide what it is we want to work towards. Never think of the future? Any rough times we then face in our daily lives are more random than confining.
Deciding what we want to do and do not see any potential obstacles? You have the perfect definition of a dream that will never be realized. Nothing ever is so easy in life that you will be given a free and clear path to your desired future.
Seeing obstacles can be very powerful in your life. It almost lays out a map that you must travel to achieve your dream. You begin to see the road and the challenges that you must take to get there.
Obstacles can force changes to your dream. Obstacles can force changes to the path you thought was best to get there. As rigid as they look, they tend to be fluid. They seem to change as we get closer to them.
Our dreams need to become as strong yet as fluid as our obstacles. If we perceive our obstacles as only rigid it most likely is because our dreams are too rigid and don’t bend or adjust.
When are dreams become too rigid we become petrified like a rock. Lifeless as a cement block. Never moving. Never changing. Always the same. And so different from the trans-formative evolution of a small seed into a beautiful flower that exemplifies the growth and changes in life itself.
Embrace obstacles with joy. Personal growth is hard to achieve without them. Getting past them, many times, may not be easy. Just remember that how we think, choose, and adjust will determine how fluid they can become.
We may also need to adjust our dreams, as well, to better match them to our abilities and resources. To help us find ways to overcome our obstacles in the short life we are given.
We can accomplish so much more. If only we could embrace with confidence and hope the patience and endurance needed to keep trying.