When we dare to face the things that scare us, we open the door to freedom. Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Most of our obstacles will melt away if instead of cowering before them or procrastinating about dealing with them, we make up our mind to walk boldly through them.

We need not be afraid to take the necessary steps to make positive changes in our lives. To fight fear we must act. Waiting, putting off, or postponing only increases fear.

If something looks impossible, we could look at it in a different way. What we wish to do can be done, though perhaps not in the way we originally thought. Just because one road is blocked, does not mean that the destination is unreachable. We can always find another road, or make our own.

An important part of any achievement is making it our own and we must find our own way. Whatever seems to be blocking us is merely guiding us to be more creative. Each challenge brings with it a new opportunity to add our own unique value to the effort.

When we let our mind get so tightly wrapped around the problems of the moment, we tend to overlook the larger possibilities. Our imagination is what first connected to what we wish to accomplish. We should nourish that imagination and let it carry us all the way.

Let us take the case of the buzzard. If we put a buzzard to a pen (enclosure) that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. Buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with top open.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable quick creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that our trial or tribulation is simply a state of mind. No one is ever a failure until failure has been accepted as reality. It merely urges us to put forth greater effort to achieve our goal. It is just telling us that something is wrong in what we are doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.

Our victories in life come through our ability to work around and over the obstacles that cross our path. As we climb our own mountains, we grow stronger and .....  stronger.

By Tim Pedrosa