Obstacles Into Opportunities
“It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities.” –Eric Hoffer
When I was a teenager, I had a teacher who was unbelievably optimistic and positive about everything. And since I was a teenager, I was sort of annoyed by this. According to this teacher, everything could be reframed from an obstacle or setback into a learning experience or challenge. Heartbreak. . . no problem. That was just preparation for clarifying what we wanted in a mate. Struggles in school. . . no big deal. These are simply self challenges to triumph over.
So annoying.
Now, as an adult, and a parent of teenagers (who happen not to be pessimists or negative), I understand where she was coming from and agree with her. She was 100%, absolutely correct.
We get into these ruts. . . we get into these ways of thinking about things around us that keep us trapped. It’s the old clich of the ‘glass half full/glass half empty’.
It isn’t the events in your life that make you who you are, it is your response to these events which reveal your true character. As of late, I’ve been exploring the idea that our emotions and emotional responses to external stimuli, are choices. Emotions are choices. In some ways, I found this to be a revelation. And this was very freeing for me. I can choose whether or not to be angry. I can choose whether or not to fear. I can choose whether or not to be depressed about things I have no control over.
Changing our patterns requires that we pay careful attention to the language we use. Instead of framing things in the negative, ‘I don’t want to be so afraid’, we can switch it to, ‘I am choosing to be courageous’. We have the ability to separate ourselves from the things that happen around us.
By readjusting our obstacles into opportunities, we attract more of what we want. What if it’s that simple? It’s worth it to suspend cynicism and let go of the patterns that have kept us stagnant, don’t you think?
I only wish I had learned this lesson earlier. Reframing struggle into potential is exactly the kind of thing that we as persuaders can learn to do. Framing and reframing our lives and the lives of those around us is absolutely mandatory if we want to succeed in persuasion. Whether we are helping others to see that the glass is half full, helping them to see how our products and services will benefit them in life, or persuading our loved ones to realize that every day we make the choice to be unhappy. Let’s make our choices consciously and use that consciousness for relentless optimism.
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