“While it’s true that someone can impede our actions, they can’t impede our intentions and our attitudes, which have the power of being conditional and adaptable. For the mind adapts and converts any obstacle to its action into a means of achieving it. That which is an impediment to action is turned to advance action. The obstacle on the path becomes the way.” -Marcus Aurelius
Obstacles will constantly get in the way of you securing a new job, maybe big things like the job offer you thought you’d get going to someone else or maybe you already have a full-time job so finding time to look is a factor.
Maybe it’s smaller things like your wifi connection is on the blink or you’re often distracted going for a coffee with friends or playing with your kids.
There will be plenty of distractions and disappointments along the way preventing you making progress. But whilst these distractions may slow you down, you can use them to your advantage because as Marcus says, your mind is adaptable.
Ryan Holiday put it best saying, ‘you have the power to use the stoic exercise of turning obstacles upside down, which takes one negative circumstance and uses it as an opportunity to practice an unintended virtue or form of excellence’.
- If you miss out with a job to someone else, this is a chance to self-reflect and come back stronger.
- If you’re waiting for 1 week without any candidate feedback from a recent interview, this is a chance to practice patience.
- If are invited to go for coffee with a friend, this is a chance to practice discipline
Every impediment to action can advance action.
The obstacle becomes the way.
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