The Obstacle or the Goal
read and listen on sahilbloom.com
read time 2 minutes
Welcome to The Curiosity Chronicle, a newsletter where I provide actionable ideas to help you build a high-performing, healthy, wealthy life.
Forwarded this email? Join 800,000+ other readers here.
Apple CEO Tim Cook called my book "a guide for how to build a life of meaning and purpose." You can get it now on a big 50% sale.
The Obstacle or the Goal
I recently came across a quote that hit me hard:
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." — Henry Ford
Every meaningful path in life is lined with obstacles.
If you've ever pursued something grand or ambitious...
Building a business
Raising a family
Changing careers
Reaching an athletic milestone
or anything in between
...you know the path is never smooth.
Roadblocks, bumps, thorns. They are the norm.
But here's a question worth asking yourself:
Are you blocked by the obstacle—or your focus on it?
You see, obstacles are inevitable, but obsession over them is optional.
More meaningful pursuits are derailed by a fixation on the obstacle than the challenge of the obstacle itself.
If you fixate on the blocker, you lose sight of what you're building. You become disillusioned—prone to burnout and discouragement. The obstacle has consumed your entire reality.
Your success in life is proportional to your ability to maintain a focus on the things that matter. To keep your compass aimed at your True North.
When you know where you're headed—and you train your focus on it—every obstacle in your way becomes a tiny pebble of little consequence in your grand pursuit.
This is a life lesson I wish I learned earlier:
The things you focus on will grow. So, choose wisely.
