Seeing Obstacles as Opportunities

“When opportunity comes, it appears in a different form and from a different direction. That is one of the tricks of opportunity. It has a sly habit of slipping in by the back door, and often comes disguised in the form of misfortune or temporary defeat. Perhaps this is why so many fail to recognize opportunity.

“Before success comes to most people, they are sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and perhaps some failure. When faced with defeat the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit.” ~ From Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

I found myself picking up this book this past weekend and re-reading this particular passage. I have read this passage dozens of times, but needed to read it again. You see, this past weekend I was dealing with a computer virus; and my antivirus would not kick in and do its job. As my dear laptop Luna Sophia is four years old, she is extremely slow and packed full of junk. So my only option was to reboot and restore back to factory settings. And no, I did not have a backup – so I lost everything!

As I was waiting for the process of the reboot to finish, I got the urge to pick up Hill’s book – it’s right by my bed – and re-read the above passage. All of a sudden, I got a burst of new energy. I felt as if I was given a reprieve. I thought about how I could consciously and mindfully choose to restore my data. I was going to use a browser that I liked; I was not going to load it with programs that would slow it down; and I would feed it and myself only positive mindset programs and materials – as this is my new path in life.

I could not wait to get up this morning and make my conscious decisions about what I would install onto my “new” computer. And whoa! Does it run so much faster! And space? Can we talk?

Instead of seeing every obstacle or defeat as just stumbling blocks strategically placed to ruin your day, look for the opportunities in them. As Hill said, most people will see these temporary defeats as just give up, not looking beyond them for the lessons, the blessings, and the testings.

So, just for today, STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

“How can I see the beauty in everything and everyone that crosses my path?” Especially the not so beautiful!

Learn to turn your obstacles into opportunities!
Coach Carolyn