Overcoming Huge Obstacles
Our littlest Chihuahua, Zoe can do more than she thinks she can. She’s about six inches tall, but when she stretches out her body, she’s about two feet long. To make it easier for our two little dogs to get on and off our bed, we built two stairs out of two six-inch thick cushions. That gets our dogs six-inches from the top of the mattress. Sitting up on the bed, it looks like we created an easy journey from the hard wood floor to the cushy comforter on the bed.
From Zoe’s perspective, it doesn’t look so easy. That first step is as tall as she is. She can barely see the top and sometimes she’ll stand on the floor looking at that first step and start to doubt herself. Once she starts to doubt herself, she’ll start to whine. It’s kind of like praying. She’s crying out for outside help to overcome a problem that just seems way to big for her.
There are times when we’ll reach down and pull her up to cuddle, but more often we don’t. We know she can make it. We’ve seen her do it hundreds of times, and the path we created for her was all about making her journey easier. She just can’t see the big picture. All she sees is that big stair and she’s worried about it. She seems to have forgotten all those other times she jumped up without hesitation. I know she just has to stretch herself and put some energy into it and after a little whining, she eventually comes to the same conclusion.
Throughout my life, I’ve seen social situations as a huge obstacle. Connecting with people you want to know better seems so easy for other people, but for me? I really have to stretch myself and put some energy into to it. When I’m focused on how hard it seems, it’s easy to forget all the times in the past when I did what was required and it worked out great. I assume Zoe thinks she’s going to miss if she tries to take that jump, but the thing she fears almost never happens. Same thing with me in social situations. The things I fear almost never happen, and even when they do I survive and I end up a little smarter than before.
I wonder how many times in life we end up not doing something that could turn out great, just because that first step is all we’re looking at and it seems way too big and way too scary. In reality the path is not the big, old, bad challenge we fear. The pathway has probably been setup for us in a way that makes it possible for us to win. All we have to do is stretch ourselves and put some energy into it. I learned that from a Chihuahua!
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Wow, this was the perfect post for me right now. I just bought my first car and it’s a manual. I have been driving an automatic for 2 years now. I know it sounds like something trivial and easy to overcome, but from my perspective it looks HUGE! If I just step back I will realize that a lot of people less coordinated than me drive stick shift no problem. After a little practice and a lot of mistakes I will do just fine. I have to take control and remember the big picture. Thanks for posting this, Neal!
After I published this, I almost went back and re-titled it. It isn’t really about huge obstacles, but then again, if an obstacle seems huge, it is. So I left it alone.
I also feel that way about a great many things.
I have a contracting position at a large bank doing network security. I’ve been doing network security for 11 years now. It has changed in that time. It’s no longer fun like it was in ’99. I’ve also spent a great deal of time working at radio stations. I love the audio, channeling it, processing it, routing it every which way. I guess the two aren’t so different…routing audio or packets.
I would like to change careers. I realized that working at a radio station wasn’t a “career” but my love of audio hasn’t faded like network security has. There’s nothing I like more than listening to a well-mixed concert like the Blue Man Group or The Bee Gees “One Night Only” concert in 5.1 and marvel at the brilliance.
I think I can do those things, but it’s a HUGE step. My wife once told me that if I needed to go for a dream that I should do it but I feel guilty about not bringing home the bacon and contributing to the household. I’ve thought about podcasting but haven’t made the leap. I have the hardware, software and the knowledge, but fear kills the drive forward. Maybe I can learn something from Zoe too. I have a rat-a-pin about her same size and that dog can jump on a bed that’s 2 1/4 feet high.
I just wish I could.
Paul
Neal first of all great job on losing the weight you look awesome! My wife and I are wanting to lose the weight and we both know we need to quit drinking. It would help big time on the weight loss.
This is a great post! I used to be so out there and talk with people and love people! My kids are active in sports and I used to coach them at a younger age. Through that I have really seen the bad side of people. I started to really go into a shell & avoid people. I am wanting to really break out of this shell and start a vlog.
I can too learn from Zoe and you! My big test is coming up this weekend at my first SXSWi! I will meet new people and be like I used to! The bad side of people will not scare me any longer!
Thanks again for this post! Keep em coming!
Don Heller