The Obstacle is The Path

Ripped from the Archives, this is the inaugural post in the Quotessentials Series, which takes quotes from everyday sources and breaks them down into everyday lessons. This discusses overcoming Obstacles in my Life.

From as early as 2021, I have become fond of quotes. So much, that I have gathered a bunch in a notebook that I can barely see because of my wonderful aging eyes.

Quotes act as a bit of encouragement when the going gets tough, or when we need a reminder of what life is supposed to be and the importance of being happy in the present moment. 

For quite some time I was thinking of a way to take a few of those quotes and put them to good use, and that is why I am here. I want to take some time to reveal an impactful quote and elaborate on a few points that apply to my life experiences. My hope is that these reflections on the quotes help you understand some things about life, or that it moves you to consider new options and emotions.

Even if they move you to strongly disagree with my interpretation it, still serves the ultimate purpose.

My first quote is one of my favorites from Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius.

“The impediment to action becomes action. What stands in the way, becomes the way.” 

Throughout my life, I have come across many hurdles, shortfalls, and failures. One such instance was my time in Basic Training out of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri (we’d joke and call it lost in the woods, misery).

My platoon and I were in the midst of basic rifle marksmanship training. After a slight boost of confidence with the non-pop up targets and shooting blank rounds, it was time to start live fire qualifications to earn our marksmanship badges. For whatever reason, I could not get comfortable firing my weapon. It was like all of my confidence went right out of the window. Before qualifying we had to zero our weapon, which made sure our weapon would fire properly for us based on how we shot. Each time we attempted to zero our weapon, we would have to make adjustments to the sights. Once we were able to get a tight group together, that is, a cluster of rounds into 3 shot groups less than an inch apart between two consecutive firing orders, we would be ready to qualify. Unfortunately for me, it would take me an eternity to zero my weapon. By eternity, it meant a couple days.

Majority of my peers in the platoon were already qualifying on day one. So by day two I was really feeling the nervousness and anxiety.

The Obstacle was the Path (Past my Failure)

By the the end of the second day of qualifications, there were six of us that struggled to make our mark. By this time, we were already feeling down, the opposite of what a Soldier was supposed to be. All I could think about was

What happened?

Why can’t I get this right?

What am I doing wrong?

I’m a terrible shot.

I’ll never get the hang of this.

My graduation will be in jeopardy if I don’t qualify by the end of the week.

I’ll be recycled.

It’ll mess up my advanced individual training date.

I won’t be able to see my girlfriend when I promised I would. 

All of these negative thoughts piled up. However, the obstacle that stood in my way would eventually become the way. To shatter the wall, there would be retraining and lots of practice. I remember practicing the trigger squeeze without a magazine, placing a coin on the muzzle. If the coin remained on the muzzle and didn’t move, it let you know that your position, breathing, and trigger squeeze were adequate. If it fell, you needed some work and knew where to focus your efforts.

My worst part was getting into the prone position to do it. Feeling the hard marble floor on my elbow bones killed me. Even thinking about it now gives me some phantom pains! But practice and training towards flawless execution was one of the Army’s biggest mantras. Combine that with never leaving a fallen comrade, it gave me the support that I needed to combat my fears of not making the cut on the final day of qualification.

Redemption at last!

The final day of weapons qualification came; the Obstacle was indeed the Path.

My nerves were at an all time high, wondering if this was the end. The drill sergeants had already let us know what was at stake. No pressure right?

Interesting enough, it was a comfortable breezy day. The line was quiet. The sandbags were stacked. I made sure that I went to take a piss beforehand, which would always seem to trip me up in the foxhole (to be real, sometimes I’d go in the foxhole right before I shot…or the nervousness of the matter would cause me to piss myself). I didn’t know it at the time, but the universe was telling me that I would come out of this just fine.

To my surprise, even with stinging elbows, I survived! I was ecstatic! I remember jumping up and screaming “Hooah” when range control shouted off my score of 29 out of 40. Not too bad! One off from being ranked a Sharpshooter. Better yet, it was my first time firing for the day, and everyone that was in jeopardy with me ended up qualifying as well, and not a moment too soon!

Closing thoughts

No matter what happens, you are guaranteed to fail or not have everything run perfectly at least once. In fact, we are more likely to have many shortcomings before we get it the way we want it to be.

You may see it as it’s not meant to be, but indeed it is. If you believe in it, put in the time and energy, and it resonates with your soul, it will be! Even if you have to shift gears for a bit or modify your plan or your timeline.

What is yours will come to you through working smart and consistent. You don’t need to feel the need to force anything. When it is time, it will be your time. Divine timing is a real thing. We may fall short, but none of us are failures.

The impediments to action do not define the warriors that we are inside, but rather, it is our willingness to get up again, practice, regroup, refine, and re-engage that eventually gets us the spark of the candle light in the darkness.

I say this even to myself because I have quit more often in life than I have finished. I’ve recently decided to buck the negative beliefs I have about success and do what resonates with me.

I may not get eyes on the product the way everyone else in the content space may get theirs, but I am due to at least one person knowing who I am and appreciating the good I bring into the world. If not, then at least I do!

Can you relate to a time where the odds were stacked against you? What was the situation? Did you quit, or did you continue to push forward? What were your concerns or fears in the moment? Share in the comments below!

Until next time Boppers, lets stay #WRITEntangled