Obstacles offer opportunities to open new doors and view things in another way.\u00a0 Embrace and welcome them.\u00a0 If none existed life would get pretty boring and we wouldn\u2019t know our own strength and ability. But unless you\u2019re a hurdle runner or a high-jumper, you probably don\u2019t like them.\u00a0 They seem to slow you down and block the way to goals.\u00a0 But they also build character.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
1.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A good obstacle can test resolve.<\/strong>\u00a0 If a runner sits down in front of the first hurdle without even trying to get over it, then she doesn\u2019t deserve to win the race.\u00a0 The people who win are the ones who make continued, solid efforts and persevere.\u00a0\u00a0 Good runners, scientists, artists, teachers and writers know that it takes persistence over long periods of time to achieve results.\u00a0 Most face multiple trials, frequent rejection and even ridicule at their drafts and plans before achieving a level of competence that will bring them name and fame.\u00a0 Only those who persist in perfecting their work will succeed.\u00a0 Thomas Edison, renowned for inventing the light bulb failed over and over before he found the filament that worked.\u00a0 When others criticized him for being foolish and wasting time, he replied that he\u2019d found 9,999 ways that didn\u2019t work.\u00a0 Imagine if he had not continued on to the 10,000 attempt to invent the light bulb.\u00a0 The world would be a much darker place.<\/p>\n 2.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>Challenges strengthen us for future trials and tests.\u00a0<\/strong> Remember being back in school?\u00a0 A mid-term test checked progress and we had to pass it to move onto the finals.\u00a0 Life presents tests in the same way.\u00a0 Without occasional trials along the road we don\u2019t know our own strength and capacity.\u00a0 Embrace the tests and welcome them.\u00a0 They\u2019ll teach you how tough you really are.<\/p>\n 3.)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Getting stuck behind a hurdle only becomes problematic if you don\u2019t recognize you\u2019re blocked<\/strong>.\u00a0 Becoming aware of the obstacle in the path is the first step to getting over it. \u00a0One of the harder things in life is continuing to learn and grow.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy to get stuck repeating the same comfortable routines and going to the same places over and over.\u00a0 It\u2019s harder to move out of one\u2019s comfort zone and try something new, reach out to new people and learn a new skill, craft or art. Life-long learning means taking the risk of looking ridiculous.\u00a0 Learning a foreign language without having native speakers smile or laugh is virtually impossible.\u00a0 The best way to get past worry of ridicule is to take yourself lightly and keep a sense of humor.\u00a0 If you stick to it, soon they\u2019ll stop laughing and start admiring the progress you\u2019ve made in a new language.<\/p>\n Bio:<\/strong> Debra Moffitt is author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life<\/a>. A visionary and teacher, she\u2019s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind\/body\/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast by BBC World Services Radio. She has spent over fifteen years practicing meditation, working with dreams and doing spiritual practices. Visit her online at http:\/\/www.awakeintheworld.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Obstacles offer opportunities to open new doors and view things in another way.\u00a0 Embrace and welcome them.\u00a0 If none existed life would get pretty boring and we wouldn\u2019t know our own strength and ability. But unless you\u2019re a hurdle runner or a high-jumper, you probably don\u2019t like them.\u00a0 They seem to slow you down and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":409,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,4,125,3],"tags":[349,348,347],"class_list":["post-513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","category-inspiration","category-oneness","category-spiritual-practice","tag-overcoming-difficulties-with-faith-and-effort","tag-spiritual-approach-to-challenges","tag-understanding-the-purpose-of-obstacles"],"yoast_head":"\n