I’m a sucker for profound quotes and ideas from old philosophers, so I’m not surprised by the events showing up in my life surrounding the quote from the stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. If you are curious about old guys with epic beards and even wiser insights then dive in with me to the full quote, “The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle of our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” Deep stuff right?
How many hours of my life have I spent complaining about and bemoaning the obstacles and challenges in my life? I would venture that number would at least amount to something in the order of thousands of hours. So if Mr. Aurelius is to be believed, I’ve wasted a considerable amount of my time and energy fighting or pushing down something that may have been my teacher. Let me explain.
The ideas behind this quote showed up in a big way last night. I do regular mentoring sessions with my good friend and fellow explorer, Serge Grandbois (www.channelingkris.com) These sessions have been incredibly valuable in my life and I value them deeply. I might even say I cherish them like many people might a diamond or precious gemstone. We make an audio file of the sessions so I can review the contents and sometimes the sessions are transcribed as well. Yesterday after our session, we realized we had forgotten to hit the record button. Luckily Serge was experimenting with an AI transcriber and his words had been transcribed but we had no audio file and only Serge’s side of the conversation was transcribed.
An old voice, the voice that looked at this as an obstacle, wanted to complain. I heard its familiar tone, ‘Oh what a terrible thing, I pay for these sessions now I don’t even have the audio file! I got ripped off.’ The voice was but a soft echo of what it once would have been and lasted only a few seconds but I noticed it. I caught myself catastrophizing and got curious about what the lesson might be. What might I learn from this apparent obstacle? If a question like this had no answer or purpose I would need to accept that I live in some random and haphazard universe. Immediately my mind began to wonder what I might learn and I decided to immediately take the available transcript and type in what questions I had asked and some of my ad lib comments from memory. It took a few hours and I was astonished at how much I could fill in based on memory of the conversation alone. I was able to create a near complete transcript of both sides of the conversation and now I have something I can refer back to and study from the mentoring session. This process of having to think deeply and re-create the conversation from memory moved me to examine the session deeper than I normally would. And there it was! The obstacle of the missing audio file pushed me towards a deeper understanding and an appreciation of my own attention and recall which I would not have had otherwise.
So let’s take a pause together. Take a few breaths, let go of some of that judgment and tension. What are the obstacles right now in your life? What might they have to teach you? Get curious. Maybe even right them down or explore them in whatever way seems right for you. What might they be telling you if indeed they were an opportunity for introspection?
As I unravel the quote I wrestle with the idea of how can an obstacle be the way? It’s an obstacle right? By definition an obstacle blocks. But the quote and a thorough examination of the power of our minds presents a possible solution to the initial paradox of this idea. The beginning of the quote suggests that our minds, based on how it views the obstacle, has the power to transform the obstacle. If you view the obstacle as a challenge but also a learning opportunity, you then learn and grow. If the obstacle is viewed in your mind as only an obstacle then it will remain an obstacle.
This is not to say that these obstacles are all pleasant. I recall my struggle with professional burnout and all of the intense fears and pains that I expressed and released through my work in transforming that obstacle. Many parts of the experience frankly sucked, but after experiencing the clarity and wholeness that comes after such a release, exploring and transforming the obstacle was indeed the way forward. I believe with practice the process of transforming obstacles within your mind does become easier and more natural. We all have to start somewhere though and if you made a habit of playing a game of psychological hide and seek with your obstacles, getting started might be really uncomfortable. Sometimes you may need a professional guide of some kind to assist in the process (I did many times and still do). With practice, the pains and discomforts of encountering the obstacle may only last a few moments and instantly begin to point you towards the lesson contained within the obstacle.
So next time you find yourself facing an obstacle why not try on what Marcus Aurelius has to say and look for the ways that the obstacle might become the way. Job doesn’t appreciate you? Tired of not being able to use your creative talents on a daily basis? Perhaps that obstacle is there to move you towards your next position, to move you out of complacency. It’s going to look different for everyone and every situation. What would happen if you let it be the way. Seriously, daydream about that for a moment. Then be fully present and watch how any obstacle that might be in your way might become the way and let the transformative powers of your mind unfold to make it happen.