The Obstacle is the Path

“Sometimes our walls exist just to see who has the strength to knock them down.” Darnell Walker

Sages through the ages have said that the obstacle, the problem, the hindrance, it’s not in the way... it is the way. It’s the very thing that will make you stronger and more resolute. It’s the impediment that sharpens you to cut through the hurdle.

I think an example may explain this better.... If you’re stressed or overwhelmed at work you have a couple of basic options. You can complain about the problem or you can immerse yourself in it...let it lead you to self-exploration and deal with the source of the stress. You’ll learn to see if your expectations and ideals were unrealistic and you’ll move towards letting them go.

Another example: if you feel criticized for being/doing things differently or not being understood...you can get mad at them, rage at the unfairness and then avoid them. Or you could engage them in communication, say why you do what you do and explain the way you do it. Also asking for their support is a good way to change the energy. You may not get their complete agreement but they’ll see you differently, with more willingness and you’ll have learnt to deal better with them in the future.

My point is that many times failure itself is a benefit...failure that forces us to pursue an alternative path we wouldn’t have considered otherwise, and it turns out to be the best way.

In encountering obstacles, benefits often arise that we never expected, and they open up opportunities that are even better than what we wanted originally or even greater than we could have imagined.

Oftentimes the obstacle isn’t the one in front of us but the obstacle inside of us....inflexibility, negative attitude, fear or arrogance maybe the challenge that forces us to grow in a way that makes achieving an external goal possible.

I’m always amazed at how people with major adversity seem to draw strength from their circumstances. Popular wisdom says it has to do with finding meaning and re-defining how we see our challenges. A mother of two mentally challenged kids told me, “children like ours are not pre-ordained as a gift. They are a gift because that is what we have chosen.”

The obstacle isn’t to be avoided, it’s to be embraced and transformed by the right intention....intention itself becomes the reason for our courage. Our actions can be impeded but there can be no impeding our intention...then what stands in the way, becomes the way.

The eternal principle:
- When there’s an obstacle, don’t go around it.
- Don’t run from it!
- Go into it.
- Work with it.
- Explore it.
- Be with it and you’ll have a skill for life.

Until next time....