Ever have those days when it feels as though nothing is going right? Like you will never reach your goals and the enemy is doing everything in his power to lay you low? I can assure you, he is.
But the enemy isn’t the only reason you feel that way. The truth is, obstacles in life and in business are a sure thing. You will never dream up a goal that won’t meet obstacles or resistance. The bigger the goal is, the bigger and more varied the potential obstacles are, and the harder the potential fall will be.
To think otherwise is like tossing a quarter in the air and asking yourself if it will come down. Why yes, it will. It’s called gravity, friend.
Obstacles might be internal (in the form of your emotions and actions or lack thereof… procrastination anyone?) or external (in the form of some outside force keeping you from moving forward… like financial constraints).
Obstacles can be big or small, and sometimes you’d even swear they have a sense of humor. A pretty rotten one it seems like, but a sense of humor nonetheless.
Sometimes your obstacles will feel insurmountable, and other times you will feel like King of the Hill (an actual King, not the TV show), shaking your fist and screaming, “There! Take that! Hit me again, I dare you!”
Why is life is so hard sometimes? Why does there always seem to be something standing in the way of you and reaching a goal? You may laugh, but the answer is simple. Obstacles are (usually) there for your own good.
One thing that always holds true of anything standing between you and success… you either figure out a way over it, under it, around it or through it.
Or you don’t.
In which case, I’m not naming any names, but you might be a quitter. (Psst… don’t be a quitter.)
Obstacles by their very nature force growth and reveal character. They teach us lessons about ourselves we might never learn otherwise. Can you imagine if life was easy all the time? If we all coasted along, never meeting any sort of resistance, just flitting by each other and waving hello while we drift down easy street? It’d be pretty boring, and I imagine it wouldn’t feel very fulfilling.
We are creatures made to overcome resistance, to beat all odds. We need obstacles to force us to slow down, to think, to take stock of our lives. We need obstacles, resistance, and even failures, to compare everything else to.
Otherwise how would we know when something is good? How would we recognize success when we reach it? How would we learn to be grateful and appreciate the days that go smoothly, if we aren’t also given days to rail against?
Obstacles are given to us in life to provide contrast. They are catalysts to seasons of change and growth, and when faced head on, win or lose, they develop character and cultivate wisdom.
The question is will you face your obstacles or run from them? The choice is yours and every choice you make defines you, so make ‘em good.