Barriers vs. Hurdles

I just finished a truly inspiring autobiography written by Ben Carson called Gifted Hands.  His story is truly one about a man who had every reason to not succeed in life.  He was raised by a single mom who struggled with mental health issues.  He was a minority in the States which tried to set limits on how he could succeed.  His mom was integral in teaching him that he could do anything he decided he could do.  That is exactly what he did.  He is now a world renowned neurosurgeon.

It was the last few paragraphs of his book that really struck me tonight so I thought I'd share them here...

     "To THINK BIG and to use our talents doesn't mean we won't have difficulties along the way.  We will - we all do.  How we view those problems determines how we end up.  If we choose to see the obstacles in our path as barriers, we stop trying.  'We can't win,' we moan.  'They won't let us win.'
     However, 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.
     Whatever direction we choose, if we can realize that every hurdle we jump strengthens and prepares us for the next one, we're already on the way to success."

This is a message that I need to grab onto right now.  It truly matches up with the encouragement that I have received from Sifu Brinker and the entire I Ho Chuan team.  I may not physically leap over any hurdles in the near future, but I am choosing to leap.

Karen Bergstreiser