Obstacles

Obstacles are not a reason to stop taking action — they’re a reason to take even more action. Is there some law stating that difficulties are a reason to become discouraged? No, there’s no reason in the world why you must become discouraged when you run up against a problem. In fact, it is perfectly permissible to become energized, and invigorated, and even more enthusiastic than you were before. In fact, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Every obstacle you encounter just makes the accomplishment that much more valuable.

Think of it this way. If you’re building a business, the more problems you encounter and solve in building that business, the fewer competitors you’ll have. If you’re building a relationship, the more difficulties the relationship is able to transcend, the stronger and more lasting that relationship will be. For example, young people who go through college together may remain close for several years afterward because their relationship has been formed during a time when there were many new and different challenges. And soldiers who serve together in combat will often remain close friends for their entire lives because of the extreme obstacles under which those relationships were first formed.

Every person who has ever achieved anything of value has done so in spite of the challenges standing in the way. You can do it too. You were born to solve problems. You’ve been doing it all your life. You’ll continue doing it every single day. Life is a continuing series of challenges. You cannot avoid challenges, but you can go a long way toward choosing your challenges, and toward choosing where those challenges will take you. The person who chooses the challenges of building a successful career will not have to deal with the challenges of living in poverty. The person who chooses the challenges of staying physically fit will not have to deal with the challenges of being unhealthy.

Rather than trying in vain to avoid difficulties, go out and grab on to those particular difficulties that will move you ahead. The most profitable challenges are those that come your way as a result of ambitious goals.