When the Going Gets Tough

What do you do when you start running into one brick wall after another?

Do you chip away at the wall and see if you can break it down? Do you find a way to climb over it? Look for a way to go around it? Or do you just turn around and go back to where you came from and think "I can't go forward. I hit a wall."

Sometimes, I think those 'walls' are put in our way to see what we are made of. If you are driven, you will find a way beyond the wall. If you are wavering, you'll turn around and go back. If you are willing to accept that there is something of value to be learned, by confronting the wall ... you will become wiser and move ahead (sometimes going forward means you have to take a few steps back, at the beginning).

Obstacles can make you or break you. They are the speed bumps of life. When things are going too fast, a few bumps in the road force you to slow down long enough to determine if this is the road you want to travel.

My daycare career was riddled with walls and potholes. Every single time that I was at a cross roads, I had to stop and pause. Which way now? Do I continue to go forward with a career where the pay cheque is unknown, the schedule is unpredictable and arduous, and the pension and dental benefits are nil? Or do I go back to the regimented and predictable world of my old job?

It seemed that every single time that I was in a state of indecision about which route to take, the moment that I firmly decided the life I wanted to live, the world moved to accommodate my choice. An alternate income source would present itself to me, and I forged ahead in my daycare career for another year.

These 'contract renewals' came up regularly. Which came first? My indecision about where I should be headed? Or the potential loss of future income? That answer isn't as clear as what came next. I know for a fact, that it was always after I made the decision within myself (to have faith and continue on my path of self employment), that new doors opened. My daycare flourished despite the ebbs and flows along the way.

I believe that the universe can sense your insecurity. It's testing you.

If you start doubting yourself, you will find all the reasons why you are right. If you believe in yourself and try to find a way past the wall, you will strengthen your conviction ... and you will prove yourself right once again.

Maybe the walls are put up for a reason. Perhaps a person needs to take a few steps back and reexamine the situation.

The obstacles we run across in life are there for a purpose. I don't believe in knocking down the walls with reckless abandon. I do believe in looking for a ladder or finding a more indirect route.

If you know what you want in life, don't be afraid to take a few detours to get there. There is something to be gained by every new road we take. The only way we lose, is if we stop trying.

One day, you will be grateful for the lessons learned as life seemingly is ground to a halt. It may not be today ... but if you look for it, it will come.