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Quotes about Obstacles

    “In your life you’ve faced obstacles, inner and outer, that have prevented you from becoming the person you were ‘meant to be’ or ‘are capable of being’ and that is what we are going to recover. That’s why we call this process Recovery; we recover the ‘you’ that you were meant to be.”

    Russell Brand, Recovery (Page 42)

      “Bliss is a beautiful destination, but you can often only reach its shores after a turning point. It’s as if the universe is testing you to be sure you are strong enough to make it through the murky waters, not just the serene ones, so that you can move to a new and unknown place in yourself.”

      Alicia Keys, More Myself (Page 140)

        “There’s an old cliché that ‘everyone has a story,’ but there’s a reason it’s a cliché. Every person has a story because everyone has a struggle. The heart of a story is the struggle—the obstacle that has been faced, and hopefully overcome. It can be an obvious physical feat, like climbing a mountain or rescuing someone from drowning. It can be a mental battle: like depression, or addiction, or schizophrenia. It can be comedic or tragic. But none of these particular elements are the reason that struggles are crucial to a story. Struggles are crucial because they’re transformative. Struggles change people. And a well-told story merely follows the arc of that transformation.”

        Brandon Stanton, Humans (Page 277)

        Claire Wineland Quote on Challenges and How To Keep Moving Forward When You Feel Stuck

          “I’m not stuck in this belief that challenges are given to us to hold us back.  I am lifted up by the belief that challenges are here to help us move forwards—and that is the difference.  That is the only difference between people who are living a passionate, proud life and people who feel sad—or people who get older and feel like they don’t know what they’re doing anymore.”

          Claire Wineland (15), TEDxMalibu

          Beyond the Quote (342/365)

          When you feel stuck in your life it’s because you’ve reached a limit; you’ve hit a wall; you’ve arrived at a boundary; you’ve reached an edge in your understanding. And you can’t pass until you figure out a way to scale the wall; cross the boundary; and/or explore what’s beyond those limits. Figure out being the key phrase in that sentence. Being stuck is a problem to be solved—not a permanent state of being. It involves critical thinking, research and reflection, trial and error, conversation, and more. And while this all may sound obvious, it certainly isn’t common practice.

          Read More »Claire Wineland Quote on Challenges and How To Keep Moving Forward When You Feel Stuck

          Brianna Wiest Quote on The Point Of Mountains

            “One day, the mountain that is in front of you will be so far behind you, it will barely be visible in the distance. But the person you become in learning to get over it? That will stay with you forever. And that is the point of the mountain.”

            Brianna Wiest

            Beyond the Quote (142/365)

            Yesterday, two friends and I set out to do a 14 mile hike through three high peaks in the Adirondack Mountains. We knew from the get-go that it was going to be strenuous and intense at times, but that’s a part of the experience. You can’t just walk on flat ground if you want to summit a mountain. If you want the reward that comes with summiting, you have to conquer all of the challenges that come with hiking. No challenge, no reward.

            Read More »Brianna Wiest Quote on The Point Of Mountains

              “There are going to be setbacks in life.  Even a master or a genius will experience a period of inadequacy when they attempt to learn new skills or explore new domains.  Confidence is what determines whether this will be a source of anguish or an enjoyable challenge.  If you’re miserable every time things are not going your way, if you cannot enjoy it when things are going your way because you undermine it with doubts and insecurity, life will be hell.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key (Page 73)

                “Like weeding a garden, dealing with obstacles is an ongoing aspect of meditation.  Working with these challenges on the cushion is another way we build confidence and courage to go further.  We can be grateful for obstacles, because they push us forward in our practice.  After a while it is even possible to feel a spark of delight when we see an obstacle coming up, because we know it’s an opportunity to keep sharpening our minds.  The more obstacles we face, the more confidence we feel to deal with them.” ~ Sakyong Mipham, Turning the Mind Into An Ally (Page 86)

                  “It doesn’t matter how talented you are, how great your connections are, how much money you have.  When you want to do something – something big and important and meaningful – you will be subjected to treatment ranging from indifference to outright sabotage.  Count on it.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy

                    “Yet it is in this whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has its meaning.  Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure.  Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and our wisdom.  It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually.  When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we challenge and encourage the human capacity to solve problems, just as in school we deliberately set problems for our children to solve.  It is through the pain of confronting and resolving problems that we learn.  As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘Those things that hurt, instruct.’  It is for this reason that wise people learn not to dread but actually to welcome problems and actually to welcome the pain of problems.” ~ Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled

                      You are at the source of being fat, sick, tired, broke, angry, depressed, and lonely.  Stop blaming your boss, family, neighbor, lover, government, society, or God.  You are the one at the scene of the crime every time something goes wrong in your life.  Stop looking for a fall guy, a scapegoat, or an innocent bystander to pin your problems on.  Until you take ownership for your life, you will always be chasing happiness.” ~ Sean Stephenson, Get Off Your “But”

                        “In my years of traveling the world, I’ve heard hundreds of tear-filled stories.  I’ve hugged complete strangers as they’ve sobbed in my arms.  I always whisper the same thing to them: ‘Look for the gift in your pain.’  If you look for that gift, believe me, you will find it.  If you don’t look, it’s all too easy to become enslaved by your misery.” ~ Sean Stephenson, Get Off Your “But”

                          “All life is either moving forward and evolving or shrinking back and dying.  If you want to evolve in your own life, you have to push through the obstacles instead of running from them.  Obstacles and challenges are the agents of growth.  Nobody gets to be large and in charge without facing challenges and moving through them.  Birth is messy, painful, scary, uncertain, and freaky.  Birth is also a glorious miracle that leads to new life.  If you want the new life you say you want, you have to do the work instead of just studying and discussing and wishing and wanting.” ~ Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass

                            “The obstacle is the path. Face the problem, and in doing so, become more aware. See what is really happening with you. Learn about yourself. This is a valuable education.” ~ Leo Babauta, Blog

                              “My best life lessons and education didn’t come from a classroom – they’ve come from the wild. How you act in the big moments, the ones that challenge you, scare you, tempt you, and force you to make the right decisions, is what defines you. ~ Bear Grylls