It happens all the time. People set new goals, they get all excited about them, they start taking action steps toward their goal and then BAM! – they run smack dab into their first obstacle. Sound familiar? I define an obstacle as anything that gets between you and your goal. Perhaps you have a goal to quit your corporate job so you can work from home, have a more flexible schedule, and spend more time with your family. What obstacles might you face while pursing that goal? Fear of not having enough money, concern over what others may think of your decision, financial support for your new business start-up costs, physical space for an office… all of these things can be considered obstacles – things that stand between you and your goal being realized.
When I was a teenager I had a poster on my bedroom wall that said - Obstacles are what you see when you take your eye off of the goal. I totally agree with this saying and yet I think obstacles can be held in a bit more of an appreciative light.
Obstacles are not just nasty limits that pop up to tick you off; they can actually be used as a tool to help you get to your goal. I define a tool as something that helps you achieve a goal faster, or with greater ease. It may sound crazy to say that obstacles can be used as tools but trust me, it's true. When faced with an obstacle you have two choices... give up, or push through.
It could be as simple as trying to converse with a spouse during a heated discussion. You can give up, or push through toward the goal of reconciliation. Perhaps you caved in and had dessert which was not in alignment with your weight loss goals. You can give up or start again the next day and continue on toward your goal. Some obstacles can be huge. You may be a budding entrepreneur with a new business only to find yourself a few years later filing bankruptcy. Again, you have two choices, give up or push through.
Obstacles are tremendous tools for REFINING what it is you REALLY want.
When faced with the choice of giving up or pushing through we must take into consideration the work involved in reaching our goal. If is seems too hard, or your resources seem too small, you may give up on the goal. This isn't necessarily a negative thing. It is simply a refinement of what is most important to you. It helps you define what you are actually committed to. Commitment is a key factor in achieving your goals and obstacles help you refine what you are truly committed to.
Obstacles serve as a tool because we learn from them. They teach us about what works and what doesn't work.
It took Thomas Edison thousands of attempts before he was successful in developing the electric light bulb. When asked how he felt about the negative results he was having Edison said, "Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward...."
We learn from every obstacle we come up against. They teach us where our weak spots are, they cause us to think creatively, and they challenge us to maximize our resources. Obstacles and what we do to get around them are some of our greatest teachers in life. When we find out what doesn't work as we pursue our goals we are actually stepping closer to what does work.
Obstacles help us develop PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE.
Patience and persistence are strong character traits in successful happy people. Character development begins in childhood, often being modeled to us by our parents, and continues throughout the rest of our lives. Obstacles allow us to strengthen these character traits within ourselves. They test us and challenge us to step up, push through, think outside of the box, and believe in the end-results being achieved. They sharpen our ability to wait for what we want while we passionately pursue it. This may seem like a contradiction in terms. Waiting and pursuing seem like opposites, but when it comes to goals we know that they are in complete alignment. Any goal that extends beyond instant manifestation will require patience while it is being pursued.
So let's review for a moment. Obstacles are things that get between us and our goals. Obstacles can be used as tools while we pursue our goals. Obstacles help us decide what is REALLY most important to us. They refine our commitment to our goals. They give us new information and teach us things. Obstacles allow us to learn as we go and acquire new information about ourselves and our resources around us as we work our way through them. Obstacles help us develop patience and persistence. They add balance to our character as we learn to wait for what we want while actively pursuing it.
In my mind obstacles can are like spiritual vitamins. They taste icky and we don't like having to deal with them, but once we swallow them, we are stronger, more focused and more immune to failure. Every goal will have some sort of obstacle that comes along with it. The next time you find yourself bumping up against an obstacle I challenge you to look at it as an opportunity to grow toward your goal. Obstacles are blessings in disguise.
