Overcome the Obstacles

Life is a bit like an obstacle course. As we try to move

forward along the path to our goals, invariably
something
stands in our way. Sometimes it’s a wall that seems
insurmountable;
other times it’s a speed bump that slows us
down or a detour that takes us in a new direction.
Each
time we encounter an obstacle, we must determine
the
smartest approach to overcome it without losing sight
of
our goals. Should we fail to get past the obstacle—
especially
when the stakes are high—we will surely experience
regret.
I know that’s how I felt when I was trying to complete
the fi nal hurdle in my formal education: a one-
hundredplus-
page research project with a live presentation to a
panel of professors at the end. The project was
designed
to take at least a full year to fi nish, but I needed to
get it
done in three months if I wanted to make the
approaching
graduation deadline. If I didn’t fi nish, I’d have to wait
one
full additional year to graduate and have to pay
another
year’s worth of tuition. To make matters worse, I had a
new job lined up that was contingent upon my
graduating.
If I didn’t complete the project in three months, there
would be no graduation, no job, and a lot of regret.
My biggest obstacle in this case was fundamentally
time—or so I thought. When I shared my three-month
completion plan with my project advisor, however, his
immediate response was “It would be a herculean task
to
get your project done by graduation. There’s no way
this
will happen.” It was apparent that my advisor, who
was
supposed to be my advocate, had now become an
obstacle
too. To overcome these obstacles, I spent the next
three
months working feverishly to complete my project
while
reassuring my advisor on a weekly basis that things
were
running on schedule despite his reluctance to support
me
in the process. On literally the last day possible to be
eligible
for graduation, I fi nished the written portion of the
project and was ready to give my presentation to the
faculty
panel.
Gathered at the presentation were my classmates and
some close friends, as well as my parents, who had
traveled
three thousand miles to be there for moral support.
Moments before the proceedings started, the
professor
who was leading the panel pulled me aside and
informed
me that my parents would not be permitted in the
room
during the session. When I inquired why, the response
I
got was that it was not “customary” to have relatives
at -
tend, though there was no formal policy to that effect.
Just
when I thought the only obstacle left was my actual
presentation,
I now had another. While I wanted to protest, I knew
I’d regret it if somehow this negatively infl uenced
the panel’s evaluation of my presentation. Thus, I
chose
to overcome the obstacle by saying nothing and
putting
100 percent of my focus back on the task in front of
me.
I will say, though, that having my parents barred from
the
room—and made to sit outside with ears against the
door
like eavesdropping children—defi nitely inspired me
that
much more to prevail.
For the next two hours I presented my project and
fi elded endless questions from the panel members.
Then,
after they deliberated for what seemed like forever,
the
head of the panel informed me that I had passed. It
was
an unforgettable feeling—fi nally I had overcome all of
the
obstacles that had been in the way of achieving my
goal
and this milestone in my education. I still have the
photograph
of the huge smile on my face at that particular
moment.
The obstacles we face in life aren’t always easy to
overcome.
They are a test of our determination, endurance,
per severance, and will. Refuse to let anything get in
the
way of completing the objectives you set for yourself,
both
at work or school and in your personal life. Say no to
naysayers
and keep your focus on the endgame. Be strategic,
tenacious, and resilient. Overcome the obstacles and
make
it your mission to achieve your goals.