“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”
–Henry Ford

Each of us is uniquely gifted and destined to reach heights that we don’t even know exist. But when we get caught up in our lives, it’s easy to lose focus and blame our failures on distractions. The truth is, when we focus on the paths ahead, everything else ceases to matter.

My Fear of Trucks

When I arrived in the U.S. seven years ago, one of the biggest challenges I faced was learning to drive next to mega-ton trucks on freeways. Those monstrous things terrified me. Their very presence on the road was enough to ruin my whole driving experience. When I got anywhere close to a big truck, I froze. The few seconds it took me to pass one would seem like forever, and by the time I finished passing, I would feel completely drained. It was exhausting, frustrating, and above all, dangerous.

I was about to give up when my husband made a suggestion. He told me to focus only on the yellow line as I passed a truck. I was not to look at the truck or gauge how much more of it I had to pass… all I had to keep my eye on was the yellow line. You wouldn’t believe the transformation I experienced. Simply by staying focused on the yellow line, I stopped letting those trucks take joy out of my driving.

Stay Focused on Your Lane

As simplistic as this solution sounds, it applies to practical life, too. I often find myself looking at what those around me have achieved–my friends, cousins and colleagues. When I look at everything others have accomplished, I do get inspired, but I also get distracted. I start thinking of myself as less capable and less successful. I start comparing and measuring my achievements against theirs, and in doing so, I lend a hard blow to my self-esteem.

I know that everyone’s circumstances, abilities, and goals are unique, but I still start going down the “what if” path. So I began to apply the yellow-line analogy to my life, too. Whenever I feel insecure because of someone half my age making twice as much money or living the life I once dreamed of, I consciously put an end to that flow of thought. I remind myself that my life, my strengths, and my dreams are unique, and I should focus on my lane and not everything else that’s out on the road.

Keep Those Greeting Cards

You know all those thank-you notes, letters, greeting cards, and congratulatory messages you get from people who care about you and appreciate you? Keep them. Whenever your self-esteem drops, just take that message box out and spend a few minutes reading those beautiful words all over again. Positive words remind us of our capabilities and our past successes. The idea is to use those encouraging words to propel us forward when self-doubt looms large. We have made a difference in the past, and we certainly can and will in future.

Surrender to Something Larger

Whether you call it God, life, destiny, the universe, the One, or some other name…believe that there is something larger than you out there, something so grand we cannot fathom its magnitude. When you start to doubt that you can achieve something, give it your all anyway, as Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “If,” advises. Pour your heart and soul into what you believe in, and then surrender the outcome of your actions to that grand force.

Remember that you can always choose your own actions and hope for certain results. If you’ve given your best shot and doubt still lingers, let go of the idea that you control the results…and then experience the serenity that comes as doubts dissolve and your faith strengthens.

Think Positive

A Sanskrit phrase found in the Scriptures goes “Yad Bhaavam Tad Bhavathi,” which translates to “As you think, so shall you be.” Every book on positive thinking and motivation drives this point home. You are your thoughts, and thoughts are potent. They have the power to manifest themselves into actions. So go ahead and think positive. Be positive. Yes, you will succeed. You are talented. You will achieve your goals. You will be all that you want to be and more. But you have to start thinking it first.

Make self-affirmations. Write them down, revisit them, and meditate on your positive thoughts. Say them out loud. Surround yourself with positive thinkers, and commit yourself to maintaining a positive frame of mind at all times.

Believe, and you will become.

[Photo by ||!prliignore3||]