Re-purpose Your Obstacles

“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. Especially when I am faced with anything that seems like an obstacle or a setback.

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!

Your Life, Your Choice

"The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment, it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone." ~ Orison Swett Marden

Your life, all of it, is your responsibility. Even those parts that are not so pleasant – they are still your responsibility because they happened in your life. Not that you caused them or wanted them to happen; but somehow you attracted them into your life. And because it is your life, it is your responsibility.

Only you have the power to choose which direction you want to go with whatever happens in your life. You can choose to take the high road or you can choose to take the low road. The choice is yours. It is your responsibility. Blaming your circumstances will get you nowhere fast – except stuck in victim mode.

Just for today, look at every circumstance as a possible opportunity for growth and deeper awareness.

Cling To Your Vision

“Before you begin a thing remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead. You can only see one thing clearly, and that is your goal. Form a mental vision of that and cling to it through thick and thin.” ~ Kathleen Norris

Now that we are into 2011, I know most of you are working on your goals and intentions for this new year. Making resolutions are not going to serve you well because resolutions come with a default for failure. When you make a resolution, that is all you do. When you set a goal or an intention, you also plan your action steps to make that goal or intention a doable process. You can make resolutions, but then turn them into actionable goals and intentions.

Also know that no matter what your goal or intention, it will be fraught with some obstacles or delays. You cannot foresee these obstacles until you reach them; but know they are coming and be okay with that. This is part of the process. If you desire this goal or intention with all your heart, then those obstacles will effortlessly turn into golden opportunities. If it is a goal or intention that does not make your heart sing, then those obstacles will get bigger and bigger and block your progress.

So think about your divine why – why do you want to be, to do or to have that desired goal or intention? Your why has to be so big and you can see it so clearly that it will get you through any obstacle you may encounter.

Risking Adversities

"We must look for the opportunity in every difficulty instead of being paralyzed at the thought of the difficulty in every opportunity." ~ Walter E. Cole, Korean War Hero

Sometimes, you may not take the leap of faith and take advantage of the opportunities before you because you don’t want to risk – losing, failing, falling, you name it.

But remember, those obstacles are opportunities in disguise, but they don’t become opportunities until you take the risk and see what lies beyond the obstacle.

Just STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

“What obstacles are in front of me today?”

“What opportunities are beyond those obstacles?”

Friday's Purposeful Question

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

“What are your recent obstacles; and how can you turn them into opportunities?”

“You can tell whether a woman is clever by her answers. You can tell whether she is wise by her questions.” ~ attributed to Naguib Mahfouz

Live your questions!
Coach Carolyn

If you are not seeing your obstacles as nothing but obstacles, chances are fear is getting in the way. Check out the Transcending Fear Online Mentoring Program, and watch your obstacles turn to fabulous opportunities.

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

Turning Obstacles into Opportunities

Napoleon Hill says in his seminal work Think and Grow Rich:

“When the 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 id to quit. That is exactly what the majority of people do.”

When I first read those passages, I nearly fell off of my chair. As a woman in perpetual transition, I would often ask the proverbial question, “Why is this happening to me?” “Why does this always happen to me?”

Does any of this sound familiar?

Then, I read Hill’s words and took a great sigh of relief. Before reading this, I would hit the adversity, then just stop. Not recognizing that this temporary defeat was an opportunity in disguise.

Today, although I’m still not crazy about the adversities that I meet, I now recognize them as opportunities in disguise. There is a higher calling for these trials.

Just for today, STOP, TAKE A BREATH, and ASK:

“What are the lessons, the blessings, and the testings of this trial or misfortune?”
I urge you to make a habit of reading books like Think and Grow Rich; especially if you are needing new shifts in old paradigms.

Here's to your success!

Coach Carolyn

Entitlement vs. Gratitude

I have the wonderful pleasure of communicating online with women in different parts of the world. The beauty of the Internet. I have stated before that my purpose in life is to equip, empower and encourage women to be amazing spirit women living lives of passion, prosperity and peace.

I have been given many opportunities to be encouraged by fabulous women, and for this I am humbly grateful. This is what fuels my passion to encourage other women, knowing I have been given the fire for my torch to pass on. And I do pass it on. I am honored to be given opportunities to create opportunities for women to become all they were created to be. I know we are all busy. But there is not one of us who has the purpose in life to be busy. If we were truly living our purpose, busyness wouldn't enter into the equation. Be are called to be fruitful and productive, not merely busy.

So this leads to my moment of being perplexed. I hear from women over and over and over again about not having the opportunities to network, get support, talk about things relevant to living a passionate life as a woman. I can't have this argument anymore because I have been given the charge to create these moments for women. But women do not take advantage of the opportunities. Again, I know we are all busy. But we are also called to set priorities. My priority is being the best me I can be. Without that, all bets are off.

When I speak with women in Africa, there is such a deep appreciation of any small opportunity because opportunities are not just around the corner for them. So they will avail themselves of them and are extremely grateful for them. I find women in America, and of course, not all women, but there is this sense of entitlement and expectation; more so that gratitude.

Oprah was once asked why she gave to African children and not to American children. Her answer was simple, yet profound. She said American children have more opportunities here. She is creating opportunities where there were none. And because of this, the people are grateful. They don't feel like they are owed something because of their plight.

So where am I going with this? Perhaps no where. Perhaps now here. I'd love to have your comments.

Live with gratitude,

Coach Carolyn