Contemplating Life

We all face obstacles as we travel life’s journey. Whether these obstacles become stepping stones or stumbling blocks is largely determined by the way we react to them. We can look at obstacles as barriers, or we can think of them as challenges. We can use obstacles as excuses to give up on our dreams, ambitions and goals, or we can concentrate our energy on trying to figure out ways to get past the obstacles. Those who succeed in overcoming obstacles become more and more skilled at doing so. They also become stronger people as a result of facing obstacles and overcoming them.

Although some of us may face more obstacles in life than others, none of us has smooth sailing, and some of the most successful people in life are people who have overcome great obstacles. For example, although Helen Keller became deaf, blind and mute before she was two years old, with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, and others, she played an important role in history. She inspired millions throughout the world, and her amazing achievements changed the way the world viewed the physically handicapped. Had Helen Keller not suffered her great misfortune when she was a child, she might very well have led an ordinary life, never knowing her capabilities. It was because of her tragic childhood illness that she was able to make such a great contribution to society. The giant obstacle that was placed in her pathway at the age of nineteen months became a huge stepping stone for Keller.

Obstacles almost always seem to be negatives at first. But sometimes, if we examine an obstacle carefully enough, we can see that it is a potential stepping stone. Sometimes when we think life has handed us a sour lemon, we discover that if we work hard enough at solving our problem we can turn the lemon into sweet lemonade. In his book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, Dale Carnegie tells the story of a man who did just that. The man was very discouraged when he discovered that the Florida farm he had purchased was so poor that he could not grow fruit on it as planned. To his dismay, the farmer discovered that nothing would thrive on the farm but scrub oaks and rattlesnakes. But then he got an idea. He would raise rattlesnakes on the farm. Within a few years, his business was thriving. He was shipping canned rattlesnake meat to customers all over the world, selling poison venom to laboratories for the production of anti-venom medication, and selling rattlesnake skins to manufacturers of women’s shoes and handbags. In addition, tourists were pouring in to see the rattlesnake farm at the rate of 20,000 per year. This man truly turned his lemon into lemonade.

Not all obstacles can be turned into stepping stones, but neither do all of them have to be stumbling blocks. If we engage in positive and creative thinking when we face obstacles in life, many of these obstacles can become stepping stones.

Think about it.

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Copyright 2025

Allen W. Smith