The Great Acting Blog: “See Problems As Invitations To Learn”
Whenever undertaking some new objective, we try to assess the liklihood that we will accomplish it, we try to pre-empt pitfalls, we try to give ourselves the best chance of accomplishing it. The trouble is, the difficulties can be interpreted as no-go signs, we may not see a solution during this preparatory phase, which in turn puts us off from even starting the thing, so nothing gets done, it’s as you were. This is when fear of failure is not a driver but an obstacle to progress.
One of the greatnesses of venturing into unknown territory however, is seeing obstacles as opportunities for learning, not as warnings to go no further. You will either accomplish your objective or not, you’ll find out sooner or later, sooner if you don’t make a start. What is certain however, is that you will learn an enormous amount by facing up to the difficulties along the way, this in itself is hugely enriching and rewarding, regardless of the overall outcome. The part of the journey we think is going to be the most difficult, the part which appears to have no solutions is the part that has the potential to make the most powerful impact upon us. To turn away from it is to rob yourself of this experience.
The next time you are preparing for a new project or a new goal then, look at the most difficult problems as the ones that offer the greatest rewards, not as reasons to do nothing. We might find that not only does our mindset improve, but that we accomplish a hell of a lot more.
