It was perfect weather for strolling around the city, which we both liked visiting. The wind breeze blew softly on my scarf. Our energy also reaches its peak potential as we already rest from yesterday’s tiredness. Our stomach is full, and most importantly, we already have our morning coffee. We chatted along the way. Our steps led us to in front of one of the well-known universities in that city. Along the way, we saw all the students gathering to do their assignment. We saw them as very creative students. As we noticed their assignment needed creative thinking. On the other side, we saw a bunch of students. They walked to their own designation confidently with their own style of outfit. They were bringing their assignment. They looked so cool. And my husband said to me, hopefully our oldest kid could study there. And I nod, hoping the same thing, knowing she will like it much. We could only hope. As we knew it was not easy. It took a lot of money to get there.
1 year later, God grants our wishes. Or was it an obstacle? Why? Because she was not accepted at her choice of local university in our country. We need to find other universities that will match her goals. But, it’s not that we just throw it like that, as we already know it’s hard to get there, and the money is not easy. As soon as we knew she didn’t get accepted in a local university, we pushed our limit to make it happen for her to study in our dream university that we mentioned earlier. We doubled up our effort to make money. And at the same time, she was also studying hard for IELTS and also made a proper portfolio, as it is a requirement to get in. Long story short, she got accepted, but in the end, she chose another university (still in that city), which still matches her goals.
But that’s not the point. The point is, the obstacle we faced earlier (that she didn’t get accepted into a local university), pushed us to shift our mindset. We are not afraid to challenge ourselves to reach our limit. We see it as an opportunity to get her into her dream university. As we couldn’t control the result of the exam of her in a local university, she already tried her best. But now we still can control how we respond to it. We are not giving up, we are trying other universities with the same quality, even better. Even though it will cost us more money. But that’s a good thing, we have to work smarter to make more money, so it will push us harder. We couldn’t feel stuck, or even frustration, as it will bring us to nothing. We have to turn obstacles into opportunities. Indeed, she feels stressed when she didn’t get accepted, and to be honest, we as parents feel disappointed too. Obstacles make us emotional, but the only way we’ll survive or overcome them is by keeping those emotions in check. If we can keep them steady no matter what happens. Don’t panic. Don’t lose the feeling altogether. Don’t let the negativity in. So we can focus on our energy exclusively on solving problems, rather than reacting to them. (The Obstacle is The Way, Ryan Holiday).
Challenges, setbacks, and obstacles are not things for us to be avoided but opportunities for growth, success, and strength. Instead of seeing problems as an obstacle, let’s see them as our chances to grow. It’s all about perception. How we interpret obstacles determines our ability to overcome them. After we set our perception back into the right angle, now it’s time for us to take an action. Don’t complain. Adapt, persist and find a way ahead. Focus on what we can control, and move step by step toward a solution. And what is the most important thing is, we have this growth mindset. That we accept, struggles are a part of our life. And it will train our mind to stay strong. Even when we are at the lowest point of our life, even when things seem impossible, our endurance and patience to overcome the obstacles will lead us to our goals of life.
By shifting our mindset, taking purposeful action, and developing resilience, we will turn all the obstacles into opportunities. The obstacles exist in the past and in the future. But we live in the moment. The more we embrace that, the easier the obstacle will be to face and move. The obstacles in our lives are made not to stop us, but to guide us.
Love,
Kirana
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