Ten “Easy” Ways to “Deal” with Obstacles

Colonel Bob climbing palm tree.

We have all experienced it. There is a mindset in dealing with obstacles and challenges in life that I would call avoidance mode. As I was preparing for ten ways to truly overcome obstacles in life, I thought I’d put together a list I would say is the antimatter of truly overcoming obstacles. There are more but let’s keep it at ten.  I am not referring to those people who genuinely need a helping hand and are willing to do what they can do under the circumstances. I am talking about those who express more interest in wasting precious energy and emotions rather than in tackling their problems or tasks that need to get done.

Walk Away. If confronted with an obstacle in life, just walk away. It’s less stressful. Walking away from a problem or obstacle in life is a great way to make sure you avoid getting stronger and learning from your experience and perhaps achieving what you really want to achieve in life.

Ignore It. When you run into a snag preventing you from accomplishing your important task at hand, just ignore it. This is a sure fire way to get fired from your job if it is an important work related task.

Have Someone Else Do It. “Better you than me,” goes the expression. Did you receive a task that’s going to require you to jump through some hoops to make it happen?  Forward that email to a colleague and find a creative excuse about why they should do it and not you. Forget about becoming stronger by overcoming those obstacles. It’s the easy street.  No sweat. No gain. No worries.

Hit the Easy Button.  Keep the easy button handy anytime an obstacle in life comes your way. It’s the fastest and easiest way out of your dilemma. Maybe this button should be called the lazy button. This is another great way to by-pass any learning experiences that life may offer.

Be a Victim. Others need to come to the aid of a victim. Yes! There are benefits to be had as a bona fide  victim. Put on the victim demeanor and make sure you are not doing what it takes to overcome your obstacle in life. Be a victim of your circumstances and you will not have to take on the challenge of dealing with your own problems or circumstances.

Fall Down and Don’t Get Up. If you get knocked down by a problem or obstacle, don’t get up. You won’t have to overcome your obstacle or deal with your problems by laying there.

Cry. Think back to those days as a child when you didn’t get what you wanted. One of the instruments of choice for dealing with a situation that wasn’t getting you what you wanted was to cry. It didn’t always work but definitely made some noise. In some cases, this resulted in 15 more minutes of play time or an extra serving of ice cream.

Curse. You go out to start your car and head for work and what do you find? A flat tire and a big nail protruding from the tire. Inspiration kicks in and you start cursing with every curse word you can think of. You may have created a job opportunity to write the best dictionary on every foul word imaginable and adding some of your own creations. It’s sure to be a hit for those who would rather curse around than spend their energy tackling the obstacle at hand.

Whine. Last but not least, if there is an obstacle or challenge to overcome and an easy way is sought for dealing with it, whiners step forward! You’d think there was a reward for whining for some people. Some even keep on whining about it long after the problem has passed or they have found out they can’t do a think about it. What to do? Keep whining about it. A whiner is about the most nerve wracking person to have around and the negative energy released by whining is a form of environmental pollution.

Complain.  The complainer I am talking about is similar to the whiner. This complainer gravitates to first finding something to make a negative comment about. This complainer focuses on the things to complain about. This complainer will revisit – like the whiner – the same issue or obstacle or problem again and again. This complainer will walk into a room or restaurant and immediately focus on finding something to complain about. This is just another way to deal with obstacles in life though not effective and complainers are not fun to be around.

This blog entry may be freely published as long as the author is mentioned as follows:
Lt. Colonel Bob Weinstein, U.S. Army, retired
www.beachbootcamp.net
www.colonelbobsbeachbootcamp.blogspot.com/