Do not let setbacks hinder your progress

Do not let setbacks hinder your progress                                                 300510

                As long as you are going forward there is going to be some opposition to your movement. The obstacles that you find on your way are there to help you grow in to the person that you are supposed to be. There are some times when certain individuals want to destroy you and they put more than obstacles on your way. If this happens, it still remains your responsibility to get over these barriers and go forward.

                When a mulberry tree is cut, it makes sure that the next time it shoots it produces more shoots than the one that was cut. This is a mechanism to make sure that if the one that cut has to do it again there are great chances of survival. Of course these branches produce more than the original one because of their number. The one who might have cut the branch or the stem to fix the tree will find the tree producing more than it would have done without the initial cutting.

                There are many situations in life when the enemy wants to fix you and does things in order to destroy you. If you learn from the mulberry tree, it is not time to give up but to stand up and be more productive. This is possible if your attitude is that of a champion who chooses to use the opposition to progress.

                A champion knows that the competition in the arena is stiff so he/she creates similar conditions by choosing a course that is harder than normal. The obstacles that he/she puts in the way help the athlete to do more than is required at any given time. When the competition day arrives, the champion can excel because he/she will have faced harder conditions before. If you look at the obstacles as a friend who strengthens you, you will emerge stronger than most people do.

                You can use the obstacles that are placed on your way as the means to rise to the top. An eagle can go higher than other birds, not because it can flip its wings for longer, but because it uses the storms that rise to its advantage. When an eagle sees a storm coming, it does not run and hide like the chickens do. It spreads its giant wings and lets the storm carry it to heights other birds only dream of. The storm is a threat to other ignorant birds but to the eagle it is the means to reach greater heights.

                For an aeroplane or a bird to soar, there has to be movement. A stationary plane will not rise. It has to reach a certain speed before it can rise. The same is true for a kite. It is either the owner of the kite runs to create this speed or the wind must blow and make the stationary kite rise. Other birds use a lot of energy to gain speed so that they can rise. The eagle, on the other hand, makes use of the storm, which will be moving at a high speed already, to rise. All it needs to do is to position itself in the storm so that the wind lifts it up. It is because it takes less energy, since it does not flip its wings, that an eagle can go so high. The storm is not a problem on its own. It is how you view it that makes a difference. To the eagle it is a good reason to touch the clouds while to the chicken it is a threat that can kill its young.

                If the obstacles that are thrown on your way are to become stepping stones, you have to choose to look at them with a different eye. Your attitude has to change completely. If you have chicken mentality, you will not be able to survive the storms that come your way. The stone that makes others stumble is the stepping stone that keeps others going. It all depends on the way you look at the stone. If you are crossing a marshy patch you know that you need stones to make your journey comfortable; the same stones that others stumble upon. The stone is not the problem; it is how you view it that makes a difference.

                When you find that the road you are following has some individuals who are bent on retarding your progress, do not despair. There is hope of getting to the end as long as you are determined enough. You can make it even if all others do not want you to make it. What makes this possible is that the same things that they throw on your way maybe the ones that help you to get to the end. It is only you who will make this possible by the attitude you choose to adopt.