“Obstacles do not block the path. They are the path.” – Zen Proverb
What a powerful quote! I feel this in my soul! Everyone has obstacles in their life that they have to overcome. Some obviously have way bigger ones then others but I feel everyone can relate to this quote. At any second your life can change direction. Mine went off course when I got diagnosed with chronic Lyme Disease and Babesiosis. I’m still sick and battle everyday but truth is I’m more motivated and inspired to live my best life now more then ever before. If my obstacle is my health issues then I have to believe this is the path I was meant to walk. Changing your mindset about how you think of your obstacles is so freeing and allows you to move forward and figure out a game plan. I had two options, either drag my feet and feel sorry for myself or I could turn this into an epic adventure and see where my new path takes me! Another very helpful thing that can help you move forward is acceptance. When my life changed I thought I’d just get better in a month or so. Then when I didn’t get better all I could think about was all the things I would miss out on and how I’d never have as much fun as I used to. Eventually I accepted my health issues are going to be around a lot longer then I had thought. Acceptance is key to being able to make a step in the right direction. I might not be able to do a lot of the stuff I used to but I asked myself, what steps can I take to make sure I still can live a fun life and be the best dad and husband that I can be? I made a game plan to overcome these obstacles and stay on this path and never give up!
Speaking of obstacles I recently did a rugged maniac. That’s a 5k with 25+ obstacles. I signed up for it so I had something to train for and really wanted to push and challenge myself. My body hurts everyday form my Lyme Disease but I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. To make it tougher I unfortunately hurt my back ten days before it. I wasn’t sure If I was even going to be able to do it and then to further complicate things I had a chance to have a small part in an indie horror film that was shooting the day of the rugged maniac. Everyone said I should take the horror role and it would be safer with my back issue, but this obstacle course meant so much for my healing journey and I’ve trained for it so I went with the rugged maniac. While I was running up hills, crawling through mud and under barbed wire, swinging on monkey bars and running up warped walls I knew I had made the right decision. I somehow completed every obstacle and didn’t hurt my back! I mean, I almost threw up three times, bled a little, and barely could stand or even talk after but all the confidence I gained in myself was worth it all. Don’t hide from your obstacles! Form a game plan and execute! Your obstacles can make you stronger then you ever thought possible! So get out there and do hard things and face those obstacles! Have the best week ever!
Crush It!
Justin
