“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed.” –Booker T. Washington
Mr. Washington may have been addressing black America in particular, but all of us can benefit from his words.
We nearly always learn as much, if not more, from our roadblocks and difficulties than we learn from our achievements. But the barriers we face, whether out of our control or brought on by ourselves, are frequently seen as negative experiences.
I remember the time when I decided I wanted to be an independent consultant—talk about obstacles! I had already been teaching business writing courses for years, but I wanted bigger challenges—and I certainly found them. I wanted to do organization development work. But what did that mean?
The first obstacle was to earn a degree, not just to know what O.D. was, but to be able to show an M.A. degree to prospective clients; then I needed to figure out the focus of my business. It took a while, but I finally realized how much I enjoyed working in the area of conflict. I did conflict training, but I also wanted to work with teams. But how would I distinguish myself from other consultants?
I realized that an advantage I had over others was my willingness and ability to dive deeply into people’s conflicts. I worked hard to develop trust with team members and then worked with them through a facilitated activity where they could deal honestly with their issues. Now there were a few big obstacles for me to overcome!
I also had to do sales and marketing, which I hated to do, but I did them anyway. Ultimately, I had a rewarding and productive consulting business.
Too often we are dissuaded from our goals and dreams, because we have to do things that are uncomfortable or difficult for us to do. We often have a wealth of excuses for not moving forward. When we realize that doing those activities is inherent to our growth and being successful, however, we are more likely to realize our dreams.
What obstacles have you faced in your life that helped you learn, grow, and become successful?
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