An Analogy About “Obstacles”...

I was talking to someone the other day about a friend of hers who she told me is somewhat of an “underachiever”…OK, we can all be somewhat underachieving, so I’m understating a bit. Anyway, as we were talking a great analogy came to me about obstacles. It came to me because I got to thinking about how different people handle obstacles and about words of advice I’ve heard in the past from friends and mentors on how they should be handled. It’s been said that the reason successful people are successful is because they don’t see obstacles the way others do. They just see them as part of the process. They see it this way because they stay focused on their goals. Some have such focus that they don’t see obstacles at all…they only see their goals. They see nothing but success, and so they move over, around, or through them. Many times their success seems effortless. That’s because they perceive it that way. So in my effort to give you a better way to view…or perhaps not view obstacles, I’m going to share my analogy with you.

Think of yourself at the beginning of a corridor or hallway, and your “goal” is to walk from the starting point, out the door on the other end. Standing in the corridor is a stranger you know nothing about. This stranger is staring, in complete silence and without any expression, directly at you. There’s no mistake this person is watching you. How do you react? What action do you take? Do you ask him “what ya lookin’ at, fool?” and engage him focusing on him so much that you don’t even see the door (your goal) anymore? Do you walk up to him and threaten to beat him up for looking at you? Do you attack him? You see, this is how some would react. They might even be so focused on him that they get on the other side of him so that he’s no longer between them and the door (which was their original goal), but are now not even pointed in the direction of their goal anymore! It has completely disappeared now from their entire field of vision. Why has this happened? It has happened because they weren’t able to maintain focus on their goal. There’s another way to react. There are those who would not see this person at all, so focused on their goal and walk straight toward it without so much as a wayward glance. Then there are those who might assume that the stranger was their to help them get through the door in the event they needed assistance. You see, it’s your choice how to view the circumstance, whatever it turns out to be. Here’s a tough one to grasp—even if he does resist you, maybe he’s there to prepare you for the strength you’ll need to open the door, or for the strength you’ll need once you get past the door. You see, you just never know, do you? Focus on the goal. Talk to you soon…

Donovan