My daughter and I ask this question when things get difficult. “Can I use this as an opportunity or will I let it be an obstacle?”
In all cases where something is hard, I am trying to teach her that she can choose to see the difficulty as an opportunity to grow, learn, fail, reassess. And yet, often her initial approach to the issue is to see it as an impediment and a hindrance.
She’s not alone, of course.
In fact, I think that is what many people choose when first faced with a challenge. Many see the problem and all its potential complications, not the reward received for taking on the challenge. Maybe this resonates with you. Perhaps you, like so many others, are afraid of failing or looking incompetent. Maybe you see it easier to focus more on how to get “there”, and not on all the growth that happens from just being “here” – in the moment, the mess, facing the stumbling block.
And that is what can almost single-handily stop you in your tracks from making progress, especially with your self-development and growth.
If staying in tune with what really matters in your life is important, then facing challenges must be part of how you grow.
In fact, developing a minimalist mindset is one way towards that growth. A minimalist mindset means you are deliberate in letting into your life that which enhances it. But the curation of such a mindset takes time. It takes effort. And it definitely takes a lot of self-introspection and letting go. All of those things feel obstructive. Which often makes them unappealing.
The same goes for getting organized and conquering clutter. Clutter is quite a big obstacle and looking at it – really seeing it and the story it tells about you – leads to your expansion. But it is definitely unappealing to address because of the physical and emotional drain it poses.
Unappealing tasks don’t make you want to jump out of bed in the morning to seize the day! And that is why you have to flip the script.
You have to see the obstacles as opportunities. See them as things in your path that give you the chance to discover what you want for your life. And then make that life a reality.
In fact, when you can see that every obstacle in the path is actually the path, you can start to improve all aspects of your life. And you can feel better about how you are doing so.
And that is the point, right?
The point is to feel good in life – even in the face of challenges or obstacles. And the reality is that you do get to choose. You can see things as impossible, or hard. And in seeing them that way you can choose to believe that life is all of those things as well.
Or you can choose opportunity over the obstacle.
And see that in the face of the challenge is endless possibility.
