Do you look at obstacles in your life as a nuisance? Or do you embrace them for the challenge that they are?
Do you shy away from confrontation? Or do you face your fears head on?
While many choose to avoid the hurdles in which stand before them, I suggest a more intelligent approach.
Run full speed ahead.
Whether you’re dealing with a death of a loved one, a break up, the loss of a job, or even a stubborn sickness, all hurdles have one thing in common: they are meant to be overcome.
Take The Right Approach
In order to overcome the hurdles of life, it is essential that you take the right approach.
How many times have you allowed your thoughts to sabotage your journey before it even began?
When you expect to succeed you dramatically increase your chances of overcoming the obstacles that stand in your way.
Without proper perspective, hurdles are often made to be larger than they really are.
Yet when put in perspective, seemingly colossal hurdles soon become a minute part of your human existence. Death, sickness, and failure are all small pieces of the puzzle of life.
A few years ago, during my Jr. year in high school, my family was transferred to Shanghai, China. The move required that I make new friends and adjust to a new country and culture.
I could have easily let the my fear of starting over dictate the life I lived. But instead of shying away, I embraced the obstacle and learned to make the most of the change. It just so happens that my two years in China proved to be an experience filled with growth.
In fact, right at this very moment, I find myself in a similar situation as I transition into the college life. My past hurdles have prepared me for what lies a head.
Taking the right approach doesn’t always mean you will know exactly what to do. All that matters is you follow your intuition and make the most of the situation at hand.
Don’t Look Back
The worst thing you can do is let your past mistakes govern your thoughts of today.
When you fail, it is important not to wallow in your self pity but rather rise and walk again.
Isolated, failure is nothing to be ashamed about, yet the emotions we associate with failure are.
Mistakes and failures are vital to growth.
Extract all you can from your shortcomings and use it as fuel for the drive to a better you.
Far too often, we allow our past to interrupt the gentle flow of the now and consequently remain stuck in a never ending cycle of misery.
When you conciously choose to look forward instead of back you will finally begin truthfully experience the present moment.
Never expect to clear the hurdles of today, if you’re still being blocked by the barricades of yesterday.
Be Fearless
When you allow yourself to be constricted by fear, overcoming obstacles becomes that much harder.
Being scared is perfectly acceptable but letting your fears control you is not.
Those who let fear run there lives often find themselves living an unfullfilled life.
After all, the universe doesn’t reward cowardice. Valor goes a long way.
Trust that you’re current situation is exactly what you need at that given moment and watch your fear melt away.
Fear starts in the mind and ends in reality.
Don’t let fear stop you from discovering who you really are.
Embrace The Hurdles of Life
Sometimes the hurdles you face in your daily life may appear to be intimidating. You may feel as if you’re not ready to overcome what lies before you.
But the truth is you are, you always are. Every event in your life is tailored to your highest needs, regardless if you agree or not.
Hurdles aren’t here to make your life miserable, but rather aid you in growing into the person you are destined to be.
Take a step, a breath, and sail over your hurdles today.
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey buddy,
“How many times have you allowed your thoughts to sabotage your journey before it even began?”
This is the true and many actually lose the battle before going for it due to having the wrong thoughts. Hurdles in life are meant to be challenges that will help us grow much more faster. Great article!
Cheers,
Vincent
I try to run directly through hurdles. Whether good or bad, facing issues good and bad head on has helped in many ways.
Great post!
Dave
LifeExcursion
Fantastic post, Bud! I struggle with overcoming everday hurdles, but I think that’s because I try to avoid them instead of dealing with them head on. Thanks for offering up some great advice in this post. I will definitely use it!
hey bud!!
really cool to read about your experience in shanghai – the way you wrote it was super power. could feel the experience.
man. hurdles def an interesting analogy. sometimes i find myself running through instead of over the hurdles. so stupid.
awwwsome stuffs.
hope you’re well mate.
alex
@Vincent
You’re absolutely right. Too often we forget the power of our thoughts. By looking at life’s hurdles from an empowering perspective, we allow ourselves to push on through even during our toughest times.
@ Positively Present:
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t always face hurdles head on, but I have found that when I do they are often smaller than I once thought. Our minds often make hurdles larger than they really are.
I’m glad you found the post helpful
@ Alex:
Thanks for the comment mate. My two years in Shanghai was a crazy experience to say the least, but I grew an amazing amount from it. Culture, travel, new found awareness. Major growth for sure.
Oh yes, just another reason to prove that acceptance is a tool for success.
I think we should ask ourselves first why the fear is there using our rational thinking. Then accept the fear and once you have found ways to overcome it (Keep trying if you fail), the fear will gradually disappear. I feel that not accepting you are fearful of something does more harm than good.
Also, I think obsession comes from fear. As Vin Miller of Natural Bias said ‘try hard but don’t obsess!’. Easy come, Easy go (cliché, I know).
I feel our perspective is like play-dough (very flexible), it can be whatever you want, but the best thing is to mold that dough according to the situation! If it does not work, mold it again!
(continued)
Why be fearful when you can always think positive! It has not happened yet. So instead of wasting your time or energy fearing, we have to think of ways to overcome it (first we have to accept the situation is there at the present moment). Trying things based on strategy goes a long way (i think)!
I feel these are the steps to overcoming fear (In summary):
1. accept the situation and your fear [turn on: rational thinking (question the fear, but don't obsess over the questioning)]
2. mold your perspective according to the situation [turn on: easy come, easy go mentality]
[turn off: obsession over the situation and fear (if already accepted, if not go back to step 1)]
3. find solutions, then create strategies accordingly.
4. try the strategy (real action)
5. If successful congratulations! If failure has occurred, accept it and learn from it, then based on the failure then go back to step 3.
6. Congratulations you grown and discovered more of yourself! Enjoy!
for more details refer to Celes’ blog:
http://celestinechua.com/blog/2009/01/goal-achievement-esper/
This is just what i have learnt from the blog in my own words. Bud do you have anything to add or amend to the steps?
@Aegil:
I think you came up with a wonderful list of things to do to help truly experience life.
I think the two most important things are: acceptance and real life experience. It is essential that you accept your feelings rather than resist them, because when you resist you simply reinforce that particular feeling.
Taking action is also essential. Great list Aegil!
Excellent point Bud.
“Without proper perspective, hurdles are often made to be larger than they really are.
Yet when put in perspective, seemingly colossal hurdles soon become a minute part of your human existence.”
What we think of as hurdles now will likely not be a part of our thoughts a year from now or five years from now. They are temporary and yes they too shall pass.
I’m big into perspective right now and perspective itself is a hurdle one most overcome. Once you overcome the perspective hurdle, the rest of life’s hurdles shrink dramatically.
Wow…that was a great post with some powerful advice. It is so easy to get caught up and discouraged by the obstacles and challenges we encounter, but as you explained so well…”Every event in your life is tailored to your highest needs, regardless if you agree or not.” That is really what it is all about and once you realize that everything is working for your best and highest purpose, there really is no need to question or resent what appears in your life. Thanks for the reminder and the great thoughts.
Bud thanks for the reply, I have yet to try what I have thought in my comment. But so far so good for eliminating my obsession emanating from my ego!
Bud. A great blog title and a well written piece but do you not think there is also a place for not “running ahead at full speed”. Sometimes events in life really do rock you and sometimes it truly might be better to face it, think “Yeah that sucked” get some mates around you and realise that things are going to take time. Perhaps a too much “full steam approach” robs you of the lows of life that create the highs.
Just a though. All the best with your blogging.
Hey there Bud,
just wanting to greet you, and congratulate you for this quality blog you run. I am also a 17 year old blogger from this very same niche, and yours is a blog that I’ve been following for a few weeks and been impressed by your posts.
– regarding living fearless — I don’t think we should leave fearless. I think it’s fear that keeps us motivated (and alive, after all). It’s a warning sign that tells us when to “STTOOOPPP!”. We just have to be able to manage these stop signs. There are no stop signs on every corner. Yet sometimes, we need them.
Cheers Bud. Nice to meet you.
P.S.: Do you tweet? I’m @zcserei on twitter.