The Obstacle is the Way
As we go through our lives, we want things to get easier. I’ve heard dozens of, if not hundreds of examples of people “putting in their dues” to deserve different treatment. There is a level of respect when it come to experience, nonetheless, we seek comfort in making our choices easier to make. When we seek out the easiest things, we miss out of big opportunities to grow ourselves.
You should face difficult things in life. Life was not meant to become a luxurious coasting, but a wildly challenging course of events to improve yourself. Now right away, someone reading is mad. “I don’t like difficult things. I’ve dealt with way more than others (in a certain this-or-that way) and I shouldn’t be expected to improve that part of me.” The big mistake is that you don’t want to become better, so the frustration is challenging in itself. It’s used as an excuse to detour your best self from shining and walking a better path.
None of this change happens overnight. It may take the rest of your days, and still, you may not change. You may never overcome something, but that is not a reason to not try at all. There is a Marcus Aurelius quote (I know, more of this guy.) where he says, “What stands in the way becomes the way.” Basically, it means the scary things that stop you are the things you need to do to get past a problem. It’s the same mentality of hitting the problem head-on. It’s the same things that bring fear, concern, frustration out of us because we are not going after the obstacles in the way.
The thing that gets in the way is there to help you. If I continue to accept the Amor Fati (I love fate) approach, then by an act of fate, I should improve. It’s not like the problem will go away on it’s own. It will start to haunt you, especially when you ponder “what ifs” and the “shoulda-woulda-coulda” events. Will we be more frustrated about the things we tried and failed or the regret of never starting in the first place.
It’s there to help you become something new. Turns out for all the new things we want in life; we complain when it changes.
As you go through your days, start to pay attention to the little things that scare you. It just might be a hint to the next level.
