What obstacles do you have in your life and what do you do about them? Do you run from them, work out a way around them, or do what it takes to overcome them. In his insightful book ” The Obstacle is the Way: The timeless art of Turning Trials into Triumph.”: Get it Here. Ryan Holiday writes:
“WHAT IS PERCEPTION? It’s how we see and understand what occurs around us—and what we decide those events will mean. Our perception can be a source of strength or of great weakness. If we are emotional, subjective, and short-sighted, we only add to our troubles. To prevent becoming overwhelmed by the world around us, we must, as the ancients practised, learn how to limit our passions and their control over our lives. It takes skill and discipline to bat away the pests of bad perceptions, to separate reliable signals from deceptive ones, to filter out prejudice, expectation, and fear. But it’s worth it, for what’s left is the truth. While others are excited or afraid, we will remain calm and imperturbable. We will see things simply and straightforwardly, as they truly are—neither good nor bad. This will be an incredible advantage for us in the fight against obstacles.”
We ALWAYS have a choice as to how we respond to any given situation. Between stimulus and response, there’s always a choice. We want to choose wisely. How has society written about overcoming obstacles over the decades, let’s take a journey:
1. Time to check in with that part of you that embodies your essence, your spirit, your angel guide, etc., etc…
2. Love that description: The Fear and The Mess, you and your friends are here to handle that: 500 Miles.
3. Remembered more for his insightful quotes, American career politician Frank Clark points out that a life led without challenges will not take you far.
4. If you read any biography of the great ones, whichever century they came from, the major content is what they had to overcome that made it worth living for: You’ve Gotta Fight.
5. In 2014, Jordan became the first billionaire player in NBA history. He is the third-richest African-American, behind Robert F. Smith and Oprah Winfrey.
6. You can leave port and the sea will be flat as a tack, over the horizon are the thirteen-foot waves that make you a great sailor: Sailing.
7. An exercise, list the things you can now do you couldn’t a year ago.
8. You shall overcome, One Day: We Shall Overcome.
9. Garth Stein became famous for writing a book called The Art of Racing in the Rain, the novel follows the story of Enzo, a race car-obsessed dog who believes he will be reincarnated as a human. While his owner, race car driver Denny Swift, teaches him about the art of racing, most of Enzo’s ideas and knowledge— including the Mongolian legend that a dog who is prepared will be reincarnated in its next life as a human come from watching television.
10. Want radical responsibility in your life, take on more challenges: Don’t Give Up.
11. You, You or You, choose which one works for you.
12. Raised by his mother after his parents divorced at an early age, In 1989, Hawke made his breakthrough appearance in Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society, playing one of the students taught by Robin Williams’s inspirational English teacher: Believe In Yourself.
13. Yes, they were meant to be there so you could learn the lesson.
14. Not 42, but an equally empowering distinction: Everybody.
15. When you’re happy and you know it, overcome your obstacles and turn them into a challenge.
Overcomes obstacles by declaring them as challenges, It’s a beautiful idea. Psychologists call it adversarial growth or post-traumatic growth. “That which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger” is not a cliché but fact.
The struggle against an obstacle inevitably propels the fighter to a new level of functioning. The extent of the struggle determines the extent of the growth. The obstacle is an advantage, not adversity. The enemy is any perception that prevents us from seeing this.”
Today’s playlist contains four songs that can rightly be called anthems due to their popularity back in the day, a gospel ditty, some spoken word and finishing with a love song. The Proclaimers, The Beastie Boys and Rod Stewart lead off with three of the anthems. Joan Baez slips in for some gospel then Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush remind us what not to do. Some spoken word by Eric Thomas culminating with pop diva Ingrid Michaelson makes for an enjoyable listening experience: I don’t want life to Imitate Art.
Namaste until next time, my dear friends
I am an Interculturalist 