Having the right tools in overcoming obstacles to success will make the difference in how your life turns out.

When I took my first Yoga class, the instructor told us that what we saw in movies was going to be different than what we would experience with him. “In traditional Eastern Yoga, one practices quieting the mind before they work on the body. In Western yoga because of the culture, the body must become exhausted before the mind can be brought to submission.” 

I completely understood what he meant. To get the benefits of the practice we had to get pacified into it. It’s like how some people need to eat before they can have a serious conversation to be relaxed and reasonable.

We take time out to put thought behind the words that we’re going to use when we talk to other people so as not to be offensive. When it comes to internal dialogue we can be careless.  One early business associate told me: “If we talked to other people the way that we talked to ourselves, we would’ve had a falling out a long time ago and would’ve never been able to patch things up.” 

It’s so easy to beat ourselves up for moments in life where we wish that we could get a do over. 

Overcoming Obstacles to Success: A Lesson

Th bald eagle gives a powerful reference for moving forward in life.  Around a bald eagles’ golden years they have a tough decision to make.

The wings of the bald eagle and it’s talons can’t grab prey like they used to. The eagles beak becomes bent. It’s aged wings become too heavy for it’s frame. All of these things inhibit the bald eagles probability for survival.  So at this pivotal stage in the eagle’s life, it goes to the top of a mountain for several months. They sit on a nest where they can either die or go through a painful process. They must knock it’s beak against a rock until the beak breaks, pluck out it’s talons and pluck out their feathers. And after this rebirthing, the eagle can then extend its life for several decades.

Overcoming Obstacles to Success: An Example

This rebirth of the bald eagle reminds us of how Japan resurrected it’s economy after World War II. After a severe loss Japan decided to grow their economy they would make incremental improvements in manufacturing products. This principle is called kaizen. Till this day, Japan is known for being among the world’s dominant economies. 

The kaizen principle has faired so well for Japan that when you think of brands like Toyota and Honda, you automatically think of reliability.

Notice how in the case of Japan as well as the bald eagle the prosperity came by rebranding after suffering loss.

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A Refreshed Outlook  

In overcoming obstacles to success we should avoid resenting ourselves over things that we can’t control anymore. Some losses are part of the path to our championship game of life. We may be upset over the circumstances that we were born into or results that we anted to avoid experiencing. Even if situations are not our fault, they are our responsibility to deal with. 

Some babies are born with HIV due to their parents. It’s not their fault, but many have made it their responsibility to raise awareness in helping to stop the spread.

The problems that most of us deal with are a result of what we have willfully participated in.

We can’t get these moments back so we must do something with them just like the eagle, which is break them away from us.  They occupy too much space in our heads and have made our lives heavy to where they impede on our survival and quality of life. 

Realizations   

Start bringing order to you mind, by being much more kind to yourself. Look at what you’ve been through and what you’ve overcome on your own when there are million of people around who have called it quits on life under your same circumstances. 

An ancient proverbial saying is that the day of death is better than the day of one’s birth. I interpreted that as meaning that you have had an opportunity to make a name for yourself when you live a full life.

Build upon who you are and take inventory of the good within you.  When you go grocery shopping without a list, if you don’t know what you already have in your refrigerator and in your cabinets you’ll end up buying up half the store. Work on your missing ingredients.

Despite your errors, you should be so proud of yourself for the man that you have become. 

Written By: Waymon Brown. Creator of theesquireproject.com. Email info@theesquireproject.com