Obstacle Is The Way

The only guarantee, ever, is that things will go wrong. The only thing we can use to mitigate this is anticipation. Because the only variable we control completely is ourselves.

Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.

Just because your mind tells you that something is awful or evil or unplanned or otherwise negative doesn’t mean you have to agree. Just because other people say that something is hopeless or crazy or broken to pieces doesn’t mean it is. We decide what story to tell ourselves.

If an emotion can't change the condition or the situation you're dealing with, it is likely an unhelpful emotion. Or, quite possibly, a destructive one.

Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing and wherever we are going, we owe it to ourselves, to our art, to the world to do it well.

Focus on the moment, not the monsters that may or may not be up ahead.

The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.

We forget: In life, it doesn’t matter what happens to you or where you came from. It matters what you do with what happens and what you’ve been given.

Think progress, not perfection.

Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.

There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means.

Being trapped is just a position, not a fate. You get out of it by addressing and eliminating each part of that position through small, deliberate actions - not by trying to push it away with superhuman strength.

Failure can be an asset if what you're trying to do is improve, learn or do something new. It's the preceding feature of nearly all successes. There's nothing shameful about being wrong, about changing course. Each time it happens we have new options. Problems become opportunities.

For the most part, lack is not the issue. We're usually skilled, knowledgeable, resourcful, and capable enough. But do we have the patience to refine our idea? The energy to beat on enough doors until we find investors or supporters? The persistence to slog through the politics and drama of working with a group?

All the greats we admire started by saying Yes, lets go. And they usually did it in less desirable circumstances than we'll ever suffer. Many times we wait for the conditions to be the way we want them and for the situation to go our way before we act. Those who attack problems and life with the most initiative and energy usually win.

In life it doesn't matter what happens to you or where you came from. It only matters what you do with what you've been given. And the only way you'll do something spectacular is by using it all to your advantage.

Action needs to be taken with creative application and not brute force. Our movements and decisions define us: We must be sure to act with deliberation, boldness, and persistence. Those are the attributes of right and effective action.

A clearer head makes for steadier hands. Decide to tackle what stands in your way - not because you're a gambler defying the odds but because you've calculated them and boldly embraced the risk.

You must believe in yourself and your capabilities, especially when trying to reach big goals.

Fear is debilitating, distracting, tiring and often irrational. The task is not to ignore fear, but to explain it away. Take what you're afraid of - when fear strikes you- and break it apart.

By being more objective and less judgmental, we take on less of a victim mindset and can deal with the situation more powerfully and steadily. For example, we can offer such great advice to our friends because we are able to analyze the situation without personal baggage.

Recognizing our power. We decide what we will make of each and every situation. We decide whether we will break or whether we'll resist. We decide whether we'll ascent or reject. No one can force us to give up or to believe something that is untrue...Our perceptions are the thing we're in complete control of.

The things which hurt instruct. All great victories, be they in business, politics, or art, involved resolving problems with a potent cocktail of creativity, focus, and daring. When you have a goal, obstacles are actually teaching you how to get where you want to go- carving you a path.

Obstacles, if handled properly, can leave us in better shape than if we had never encountered them at all. We can challenge ourselves to better ourselves through the obstacles. We can take our struggles, flip them around and use them as a chance to enhance a virtue or skillset.

What stands in the way becomes the way. Or, in other words, how we respond to obstacles is what defines us. Within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.

Focusing exclusively on what is in our power magnifies and enhances our power.

Practicing persistence. Genius often really is just persistence in disguise. Thomas Edison, for example, was not the only person experimenting with incandescent lights during his time. But he was the only man willing to test six thousand different filaments to get closer to his ultimate goal.