The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

~Alan Watts

Each year, we leap forward with enthusiasm, believing obstacles will vanish with the turn of the calendar page. We think that with the change of date, the obstacles in our paths will miraculously disappear; life will be different.

And you know what? It is, and it isn’t. Today is different than yesterday. Even if invisible, the planet has shifted; the sun rises earlier and sets later, and our cells regenerate. However, our challenges may remain the same because we haven’t changed how we view them.

Whether we realize it or not, we are responsible for what is blocking our growth. It is our inner dialogue that bars and binds us from change. We can continue to live in our past, be comfortable in our old patterns, and do things the way we have always done them, or we can adjust. Until we shift our thoughts, nothing changes. To modify our lives is within our power.

Turning a challenge into a gift happens when we acknowledge that what is presented to us is an opportunity for self-growth.

When we encounter a block in the road, we can bang our heads into the wall or figure a way through it. Awareness doesn’t take undue intelligence. It takes tenacity, the ability to stay with the challenge longer. Yet, many will give up before they begin.

Excuses drain as much energy as action. So, unfortunately, finding excuses not to do something only serves as an energy siphon, and carrying the baggage of what we have yet to do becomes a chore. That single act reminds us that avoidance is heavier than action. The moment we step into discomfort, it dissolves. Simply – that is the way of the universe. No two things can occupy the same space at the same time.

As Molière reminds us, “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” So even if it may bring some strife, it is worth the effort, knowing we are closer to triumph.

Have you ever had a phone call you needed to make and put it off day after day, ignoring it until there could be no more delay? Then, finally, you pick up the phone; you have the conversation, and even if it is uncomfortable, you put the phone down, and poof, the heaviness you have carried has dissipated.

Challenges appear in our lives as opportunities. By hiding from the challenge, we are stifling our growth. Life presents us with precisely what we need when we need it. And if we address the situation, they go away.

Yet, sometimes we are not equipped to handle these challenges immediately, so we move around them, up and over them, but not through them: this is ok. They will always reappear, gifting us another opportunity to maneuver them. We can avoid them for a time. However, challenges must be addressed, or they will continue to emerge, often for years or lifetimes. Sometimes they are disguised, attempting to fool us into believing it is something else. They may arrive dressed in relationships, careers, or health concerns. All different costumes for the same lesson. But don’t be fooled. Challenges are crafty and persistent.

As we become more self-aware, patterns will arise with what we have attracted into our lives. Our behavior is always a reflection of the past, shaped by beliefs formed from our experiences and exposure. When we discern commonality in the choices we have consistently made, we can trace them back to the inception of our core beliefs. Our belief systems are put in place to serve and protect us. Like scaffolding in building a structure, it must be dismantled at some point when the structure stands on its own.

And as rapidly as those beliefs developed, just as quickly they were released.

Personal evolution is ongoing. We don’t suddenly wake up, and voila, we are spiritually awakened. It is a process. And the process can be as tricky or as effortless as we make it.

By shifting our perception to see challenges as opportunities for our spiritual growth rather than impediments, each step offers us the knowledge that comes with that shift. It is up to us whether we want to walk through them. The option is ours. Our survival as a species has always relied on our ability to navigate challenges, to adjust to new ideas, to be watchful of outcomes, and not to avoid the certainty of difficulty.

Our consciousness is stimulated when we introduce alternative ideas into our awareness. So strive to stay awake while remaining observant when facing these blocks. And then turn the tables of outmoded thoughts, accept and welcome them as extraordinary gifts.

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

~ Barack Obama