O is for Obstacles – #AtoZChallenge Day 15

As a writer, there are many things that will get in our way, hinder our progress. Obstacles are found in all walks of life, and it is up to us, as individual to learn how we can best get past them.

Everybody is unique, so there will not be one universal answer for how to deal with such obstructions, even on your writing journey. What is good for the goose, may not be good for the gander.

We all deal with problems in our own way. Some of us are bull-headed, and just power on through, mowing down anything that stands in the way. Others are more timid, and will try to gently manoeuver around the obstacle, following the path of least resistance.

To some, the logic behind stopping at the obstacle, studying it, and mayhap even using it as a learning experience is horrifying, not to mention utterly pointless. While some writers, may just consider this a part of their writing process.

What is key to understand is that just because we deal with things differently, it does not mean that we have to deal with them alone.

Whether you are dealing with negativity in terms of people putting down your dream, making you feel small and inferior, or are stuck because your words just won’t flow. We are all a community and for the most part, everybody is ready to lend an ear and offer some advice.

Obstacles are a part of life, and as unfair as they may seem, they are there, and always will be. Everybody will meet them and everybody will have their way of dealing with it. Find what works for you and run with it. Just don’t ever let them stop you, for good. Obstacles are there to test us, to make sure you are hungry enough. They test your resolve amongst other things, and are challenges to our passion.

Another key thing that many people, including myself need to realize is that obstacles are not uniform. They do not strike each of us at the same time, nor do they follow a fair and organized order. They hit when they hit. Sometimes it may feel as if those around you, your writing peers are leaving you behind, that they are making the strides you feel you should be making. That is possible. It is. I won’t sugarcoat the fact that sometimes, people around you will get ahead, but more often than not you will find yourself stuck behind an obstacle, while for them, the road is particularly clear. This says nothing, and means nothing in the grand scheme of things. It is nothing but a snapshot in a lifetime, a career that has yet to leave its infancy.

The one thing you should make sure of however, is that this distance does not become a new obstacle for you. Obstacles borne from jealousy or envy can be the hardest to break, because they follow you.

Embrace those around you. Feel pride in your friends and their accomplishments and you will be surprised how often that boost they feel will be echoed in yourself and your own strides with lengthen and bring you right back into the game.