If we choose to see the obstacles in our path as barriers, we stop trying. If we choose to see the obstacles as hurdles, we can leap over them. Successful people don’t have fewer problems.
They have determined that nothing will stop them from going forward. —Ben Carson
One might argue that it’s mere semantics — barriers or hurdles; both make it difficult to reach success. However, thinking of a problem as a hurdle means approaching it as something that you can possibly walk around or leap over, but a barrier sounds like something that is impermeable and a fixed limitation.
Nobody likes to face obstacles, but it’s thanks to the obstacles you face today that you gain the ability to overcome other hardships in the future — ones that would possibly crush you if it weren’t for the experience you’re having today. Problem-solving skills are exactly that — skills. The more often you encounter problems and resolve them, the better you’ll get at dealing with them.
For this reason, as a great exercise for building self-discipline and mental resilience, I strongly suggest exposing yourself to difficult tasks. Embrace problems in your life and look at dealing with difficulties as training yourself to see problems as hurdles instead of barriers.
Exert willpower to deal with the hard problems, instead of looking for the easiest way out. Consider several ways to tackle the issue and try to visualize how each solution can help you leap over the hurdle. You don’t necessarily have to throw problems at yourself from every direction; you can also practice by helping your friends solve their problems or by imagining you’re facing the problems you’re reading about in a book or seeing in a TV show.
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