Facing Obstacles on the Journey

We've been talking about my mission to see you ENJOY your life and live it On Purpose. We talked about how important it is to be very specific about what exactly you want, and we talked about asking the right questions.

So, what about when you are faced with obstacles? What should you do with those big, insurmountable, highly stressful, events that seem to throw you off course and steal your joy?

DON'T PANIC -STAY IN A PLACE OF FAITH.

The obstacles that come against us seem bigger than they are. They seem insurmountable when they are not. They do not have to throw us off course, and they certainly do not have to stress us out and steal our joy. There is ALWAYS a way to get where we need to go.

Keep your eyes fixed on the final outcome. Where are you headed? More importantly - how will you feel when you get there? As much as possible, hold to that feeling now. Of course you will get there, and when you do, it would be a shame to have wasted so much time and energy feeling terrible along the way.

As I type this, my fifteen year old son is en route to Honolulu from Tennessee - by himself, to play baseball with a team of players that he doesn't know. He and another team mate whom he just met, have been re-routed to several different airports for one canceled flight after another. Their luggage is headed to the wrong city. They have had very little sleep, and multiple opportunities to panic throughout the past eight hours. At one point, it looked like they might have to spend the night in Dallas.

Now that is an obstacle on a journey!

Through the myriad of phone calls and text messages one thing is clear. He and his new buddy have managed to stay calm, as they find a way to get there. They just ate, and they are actually enjoying themselves. They are looking forward to getting to Hawaii.

How are they managing that? They have each other.

I can imagine that if Jordan were facing all of these issues by himself, he would be nearing emotional meltdown. It is amazing the power of just one friend, who also knows better than to panic.

Lesson:

1. Stay focused on the end goal
2. Keep your emotions in check
3. Ask for help from people who know what they're doing
4. Pick team mates who are positive

Obstacles come against everybody. We don't all face the same obstacles on the same journeys, but we all can use them as opportunities to learn something that we didn't know before.

I have faith in you. Whatever it is that you are dealing with - it is smaller than you. You are bigger than you look, stronger than you feel, and there is ALWAYS a way to get where you want to go. So do not panic. Stay in a place of faith.

I'll be here, cheering you on.

Until next time - Keep playing hard, and enjoy your game!