If you are alive and breathing, you will be facing obstacles every day regarding your progression through your life cycle. How you deal with them and how you learn from them will determine the degree of success you will have in overcoming your obstacles. This lesson was inspired by witnessing a 50 mile traffic jam of cars and trucks all trying to get to the seashore on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Last Saturday as I traveled in the opposite direction at the 65MPH speed limit, I watched thousands of vehicles full of motivated individuals, sitting in a traffic jam, en-route toward enjoying some time at the seashore. As I passed these poor souls, I couldn't help but wonder if there might be a better way for them to achieve their travel goals. I would bet that no one sets out on any journey with the intention of sitting in traffic for hours, moving at 5 miles an hour. However, this scenario plays out like clockwork every single weekend of every single summer season, where people are traveling to their vacation destinations on over-crowded highways. I would also bet that some of the same people face this same obstacle in exactly the same way for many years. And they get exactly the same predictable results.
On my return trip the same day, several hours later, I used exactly the same road that was a parking lot earlier and navigated my way back home at the same 65MPH speed limit with no traffic jams or frustration. What a difference a few hours can make. I couldn't help but wonder at this point why more travelers wouldn't attempt to alter their travel plans a bit, to avoid several hours of traffic jam frustration? Especially since they must know in advance, how predictable traffic patterns can be. And especially since leaving a few hours later will probably get them to their final destination fairly close to the same time without sitting in traffic.
This traffic scenario plays out on our highways every day of the week. There are predictable traffic jams during the workday rush hours. As well as predictable traffic jams before concerts or professional sporting events. Any traffic warrior knows all this stuff in advance. Yet most find people find themselves stuck in traffic often, and complain about the same stuff week in and week out instead of resolving to fix the problem by changing their strategy or course of action. With a tweak here or there in the time you travel, these traffic obstacles can be dealt with fairly easy. You just need the will and the discipline to deal with them.
Oh how we wish that traffic was the only obstacle that we will face each day. Unfortunately, our plates are full of many obstacles that can be much more daunting than traffic. Like financial, family and health obstacles. These are all inevitable, and no one is immune. How you view and learn about these obstacles; as well as how you navigate your way through these mine fields; will determine your quality of life.
As we hit middle and retirement age, health issues and ailments become part of the daily vernacular. In too many cases, ailments are not as predictable as traffic patterns. Thus we must search for answers by educating ourselves through reading and conversations with others who have gone through the same experiences, in order to choose the right course of action.
As we all age, our aches and pains can become overwhelming at times. However we need to understand that we are not being singled out to suffer alone or that pain and ailments are limited to certain unlucky people. My experiences and interactions with others have proven that we will all suffer some pain in life and we need to resolve ourselves to this fact. Sure some will suffer more than others. However, no one is immune to pain and few will go through life without some health issues.
Education regarding the aging process will always be the great equalizer to fear. And prevention will always be the BEST cure to any ailment. If you use this strategy to overcoming the obstacles of the aging process, you will set the stage to be able to overcome any obstacle that comes your way. Education and knowledge will give you an edge in facing all obstacles. Add a touch of wisdom for the many years you've experienced similar patterns and like magic your chances for overcoming obstacles improve dramatically. Add a positive attitude and some confidence to the mix and gain even more momentum. Then look forward to sitting back and enjoying the results as you attempt to avoid the traffic jams and deal with the ailments and obstacle of daily life.
No one ever said that being a participant in the game of life would be easy. But you can make the most of each day by facing life's challenges head on using all the knowledge, strength and wisdom you can muster up!