Obstacle Or Opportunity?

Masterful Mindset – Obstacle or Opportunity? Your choice could change your life.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  ~ Winston Churchill

Question:

How do you see the challenges of life? Do you see them as obstacles that are difficult or even impossible to get around? Or do you see them as opportunities to overcome? (Your answers to these questions could change your life.)

Action Challenge: 

Throughout life there are always obstacles which come up and can cause you to lose sight of your goals.  Whether it’s simply a piece of chocolate cake when you’re trying to lose weight or a failed networking situation when you are trying to grow a business; obstacles are always there.  But how you choose to view those obstacles are up to you. And that viewpoint could mean the difference between seeing your dreams realized or not.

When you are given the opportunity to face a challenge, it’s important to keep in mind that although you can’t always control the situation, circumstances or the outcome, the one thing you can control is how you perceive it and how you choose to react or respond.

In other words, you have the power to decide whether it’s an obstacle or an opportunity. And knowing that, will empower you to move forward rather than staying stuck on the obstacle. So are you up for the challenge?  Do you see an obstacle come up and immediately fill with fear, hesitation and disappointment or do you look at it as an opportunity to overcome and conquer?

The frame of mind in which you view your situation can have a huge effect on how you get through that situation. If you allow thoughts of fear and failure to take over your thinking then you can often be paralyzed by it.  So how do you change your perception to ensure it becomes an opportunity and not a crippling obstacle?

• Choose to change your mind. –  Your mind and your thoughts are very powerful.  The key is to choose the right thoughts, especially in the tough times.  Make a conscious decision to not allow fear to control you, instead, stay in a positive frame of mind.
• Believe it.  – Feel it deep in your heart. Trust and know that you can do this. Believing that an obstacle is an opportunity will empower you and you’ll find strength within to overcome whatever the situation is.
• Be empowered by your words. – Listen to the words you speak. What you speak is what you believe and what you believe will ultimately become your own reality. So speak words to support the belief you want to have and soon it will become your reality.  Believe in yourself and your ability to overcome. Then speak the words to support that belief.
• Stay focused on the solution. – Don’t lose sight of the goal at hand.  Look for what you can control and work with that. If you focus on the opportunity and the solution, not the obstacle, you will be more likely to reach your goal instead of getting stuck.

Notice in the picture above, the little girl (which happens to be my youngest daughter when she was about 6yrs old), faces the obstacle (the opponent in this case), takes the challenge, keeps her eye on the goal, passes the “obstacle” up (in the picture below) and goes on to score. And since then, she’s become a highly competitive soccer player. She loves the challenge of working her way past the obstacles that are standing in between her and the goal. And she loves to blow past them and score! Does she score every time? No. But does she keep shooting? Absolutely! And you can do the same thing with any obstacle that is between you and your goals. See the opportunity to drive past it and score reach your goal.

My challenge to you, since there will always be obstacles in life, is not to allow the obstacles to keep you from your goals.  Instead, use them as opportunities to stay focused, stay strong, and stay faithful. Your next opportunity for success is already here now. How will you choose to perceive it? Remember, your choice could change your life.

***Join me for more on this subject tomorrow, Tuesday, April 30th at 11am PT/2pm ET for Facebook Live on my Facebook Biz Page: Coach Michelle Weimer.