I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. – Christopher Reeve

Restlessness of mind, grumbling thoughts and monstrous fears begin to tickle a sense of frustration  inside me.  I am facing a brick wall! Frozen stiff, I let my mind wander back in time, searching for each particular  moments in my life when I decided to change  my journey or road trips. Scanning every event, all turns and curbs, an obstacle never failed to greet me along my path.

There and then, obstacle became my faithful companion. Initially, I started to complain of its insistence to follow my road and attention. Obstacle has a way of meddling with my time, with money, my health, my beliefs, my commitment and responsibilities, my relationships, my fears and goals etc. I cried at its presence, complaining of its persistent way to block and humiliate me.

Slowly in time, I discovered obstacle’s other side, a positive one. My attitude and paradigm towards it changed and its harsh ways taught me lessons in life :

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  1. In danger, I achieved courage.
  2. Between inspiration and desperation, I have a choice.
  3. In suffering, I learned patience.
  4. With illness, I found out the value my health, my senses, my body, my mind.
  5. With sadness, I appreciated happiness.
  6. After a bitter experience, I cherished its sweetest taste.
  7. With my limitations, I am exposed to go beyond my capabilities.
  8. After a defeat, I gained self-confidence.
  9. My lack of knowledge, focus and clarity confused me into making a mountain out of a mole hill. I discovered humour.
  10. With my gift of dream, I acquired knowledge of never giving up on it. “Remember and act on it”, I promised myself.
  11. In humiliation, I discovered that failure is learning, creativity, and innovation.
  12. In self-pity and solitude, I uncovered that conviction and love is movement.
  13. With failures, it harnessed my determination to form habits of success and not of failure.
  14. The only person responsible to see obstacles as a necessity, not a burden, is ME.
  15. In poverty, I realized what is essential in my life and enjoyed its simplicity like a child.
  16. Without obstacles, life would be boring and what a bland personality, with little character would  I have.
  17. With obstacles, my life became rooted in Faith. I need to believe in God because it uplifts my heart and gladdens my soul.

Now, I remember that trace when I accepted obstacle as my teacher. I thought I have learned its lessons. I guess, my life’s lesson is not enough, for obstacle is nodding at me again. It is dancing time again with obstacle. I have to practice my rhythm in various life’s music. Let’s leap and skip with obstacle even with a tear in our eye.

Now, close your eyes and imagine: a huge boulder on your way. What will you do?
You have three options: run into the boulder repeatedly, complain about the boulder being in the way, or find a way around the boulder.

Will you accept the boulder for what it is: an obstacle? I suggest that you accept that you cannot go through it. Do not panic, and waste time and energy worrying about the obstacle. Instead, make your own path around the obstacle, either over the boulder, around the boulder, or under the boulder.

T-shirt of Obstacle

I am challenging you to to be a hero as how I quoted Christopher Reeve  about obstacle.

Turn obstacles to your advantage, and move forward where others are afraid to go.

P.S.
The birth of Jesus   is not a fable but a story of overcoming endless obstacles like fear, rejection, politics, humiliation, murder, poverty of the manger, etc to give us hope and faith that in spite of everything,  LIFE is still beautiful!

Merry Christmas to each one of you!


OBSTACLE QUOTES

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” – John Quincy Adams

“The greatest obstacle to progress is prejudice.” – Bavee

The senses have been conditioned by attraction to the pleasant and aversion to the unpleasant: a man should not be ruled by them; they are obstacles in his path.” – Bhagavad Gita

Each handicap is like a hurdle in a steeplechase, and when you ride up to it, if you throw your heart over, the horse will go along too.” – Lawrence Bixby

The obstacles you face are… mental barriers which can be broken by adopting a more positive approach.” – Clarence Blasier

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance — it is the illusion of knowledge.” – Daniel J. Boorstin

You are the only real obstacle in your path to a fulfilling life.” – Les Brown

“The world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming it.” “It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision.” –Hellen Keller

It’s the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance, sweeps away all obstacles.” – Claude M. Bristol

The lover thinks more often of reaching his mistress than the husband of guarding his wife; the prisoner thinks more often of escaping than the gaoler of shutting his door; and so, whatever the obstacles may be, the lover and the prisoner ought to succeed.” –Stendhal

A barrier is of ideas, not of things.” – Mark Caine

It is not necessary to hope in order to undertake, nor to succeed in order to persevere.” – Charles The Bold

The mere fact that you have obstacles to overcome is in your favor…” – Robert Collier

The Promised Land always lies on the other side of a Wilderness.” – Havelock Ellis

As long as a man stands in his own way, everything seems to be in his way.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

A desire can overcome all objections and obstacles.” – Gunderson

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary

For a long time it seemed to me that real life was about to begin, but there was always some obstacle in the way. Something had to be got through first, some unfinished business; time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” – Bette Howland

In each age men of genius undertake the ascent. From below, the world follows them with their eyes. These men go up the mountain, enter the clouds, disappear, reappear, People watch them, mark them. They walk by the side of precipices. They daringly pursue their road. See them aloft, see them in the distance; they are but black specks. On they go. The road is uneven, its difficulties constant. At each step a wall, at each step a trap. As they rise the cold increases. They must make their ladder, cut the ice and walk on it., hewing the steps in haste. A storm is raging. Nevertheless they go forward in their madness. The air becomes difficult to breath. The abyss yawns below them. Some fall. Others stop and retrace their steps; there is a sad weariness. The bold ones continue. They are eyed by the eagles; the lightning plays about them: the hurricane is furious. No matter, they persevere.” – Victor Hugo

When man meets an obstacle he can’t destroy, he destroys himself.” – Ryszard Kapuscinski

The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.” – Helen Keller

A man does what he must — in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers — and this is the basis of all human morality.” – John F. Kennedy

We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals, and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.” – Maxwell Maltz

Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats. Yet each struggle, each defeat, sharpens your skills and strengths, your courage and your endurance, your ability and your confidence and thus each obstacle is a comrade-in-arms forcing you to become better or quit. Each rebuff is an opportunity to move forward; turn away from them, avoid them, and you throw away your future.” – Og Mandino

Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them… they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight.” – Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) American author and founder of Success magazine.

When we are sure that we are on the right road there is no need to plan our journey too far ahead. No need to burden ourselves with doubts and fears as to the obstacles that may bar our progress. We cannot take more than one step at a time.” – Orison Swett Marden

The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” – Moliere

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” – Hannah More

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly; ‘Tis dearness only that gives everything its value.” – Thomas Paine

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” – Norman Vincent Peale

You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call Failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.” – Mary Pickford

Those who commence deliberately. They plod on. They stick to it. They persevere and finally reap their rewards.” – Charles E. Popplestone

The obstacle is the path.” – Zen Saying

Press on. Obstacles are seldom the same size tomorrow as they are today.” – Robert H. Schuller

For every mountain there is a miracle.” – Robert H. Schuller

Real obstacles don’t take you in circles. They can be overcome. Invented ones are like a maze.” – Barbara Sher

Imaginary obstacles are insurmountable. Real ones aren’t. But you can’t tell the difference when you have no real information. Fear can create even more imaginary obstacles than ignorance can. That’s why the smallest step away from speculation and into reality can be an amazing relief. The Reality Solution means: Do it before you’re ready.” – Barbara Sher

It is not ease but effort, not facility but difficult, that makes man. There is perhaps no station in life in which difficulties do not have to be encountered and overcome before any decided means of success can be achieved.” – Samuel Smiles

Everyone who achieves success in a great venture, solves each problem as they came to it. They helped themselves. And they were helped through powers known and unknown to them at the time they set out on their voyage. They keep going regardless of the obstacles they met.” – W. Clement Stone

Life is queer with its twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out, Don’t give up though the race seems slow, You may succeed with another blow, Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit, It’s when things seem worse, That you must not quit.” – Unknown

It takes a little courage, and a little self — control. And some grim determination, If you want to reach the goal. It takes a deal of striving, and a firm and stern-set chin. No matter what the battle, If you really want to win. There’s no easy path to glory, There’s no road to fame. Life, however we may view it, Is no simple parlor game; But it’s prizes call for fighting, For endurance and for grit; For a rugged disposition and don’t know when to quit.” – Unknown

Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.” – Zig Ziglar

Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them. –Orison Swett Marden

Life’s up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals. Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want.-Marsha Sinetar

If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. –Frank A. Clark

It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities. –Eric Hoffer

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. – Michael Jordan

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats. –B. C. Forbes

The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong. – Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) British historian and essayist.

I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace. – The Dalai Lama

…cops and reporters are much alike. Both are absolutely dedicated to doing the job at hand, regardless of obstacles. And both, deep down, really believe the rules don’t apply to them. – Jim Barlow, Houston Chronicle

Whatever obstacles appear in your path, put your head down and get past them. Those obstacles aren’t real. They’re just God’s way of testing you. He’s asking you, “Do you want to make it or not?”
Russell Simmons

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