Written by: Pro Fitness Staff
There was once a king that believed his kingdom could be on the decline. To prove his theory his people had lost inspiration, the king had a giant boulder placed on the only road into his city. Then, perched on a hill, he waited to see what would happen. First, some merchants came upon the rock and said, “Well, this boulder is blocking our path. Let’s turn around. No work today!” Next a group of soldiers came upon the boulder. “This rock is blocking out path,” they said. “I guess no one will need our services today.” The king watched person after person continue to come upon the rock, see it as an excuse and return home. Then an old man came upon the rock. Instead of becoming discouraged, he got excited by such a challenge. He first examined the huge boulder and tried to push it with all his might. He realized this would not work and thought of other solutions. The quote from ancient mathematician Archimedes popped into his head, “If you give me a large enough lever and a fulcrum on which to place it, I shall move the world.” The old man was instantly inspired, and found a long wooden pole. He placed the pole under the boulder and using leverage, moved the boulder off the road. With his challenge finished, he noticed a bag lying where the boulder once stood. He picked up the bag and found inside a large amount of gold and a note. The note read, “This gold is for you, since you know that great obstacles can lead to bigger opportunities.”
This story is a great reminder that taking the “path of least resistance” is not always the best path. We tend to view our individual weaknesses as shortcomings, but they can actually be our best opportunities to learn and grow. We’ve all wished at one time or another that our lives could be easier. We dream of hitting the lottery, inheriting a lot of money from a distant relative, or if we keep our head buried in the sand, we’ll stay out of trouble. But I’m here to tell you that the challenges in life are what make life great! Without the headaches, obstacles, issues, tragedies, failures, problems, dilemmas, conundrums, and even catastrophes, our lives would be mundane and hold little meaning. Once you come to understand this, you realize that what appears as an obstacle may in fact, BE the path.
You might be thinking or might believe that with fewer problems your life would be easier. Easier how? Would your life really be Better? Which do you want –easier, or better? The choice is actually up to you!
Here’s another amazing story of one person’s incredible journey and how he learned how to “Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable.”
Spend some time thinking about the biggest obstacle that’s holding you back. Pick your main obstacle; is it a skill you are lacking at work, body fat you want to lose, or a relationship that needs more than you can give? Pick your main obstacle, attack it -and pass through it. Then pick out the next thing that stands in your way and attack again. If you keep up this process, the skills and traits you develop will be life-altering.
The world and whatever you want from it can be yours as long as you are willing to go over, around, under or through enough obstacles. You’ll get better at recognizing the risks, strategizing the best options, and most importantly, facing your fears. The key question to ask is, “How far are you willing to go to get there?” Then DO it. Everything of value takes effort. YOU ARE WORTH EVERY SINGLE GOLD!
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