The Wisdom In Obstacles

My son and I have been visiting our local Buddhist Center and the Tibetan Lama has taught us a great deal about the nature of the mind. One of the greatest gifts he has shared with us is on the value of patience.

I have heard many times that patience is a virtue and I would giggle to myself while thinking, ‘but I don’t really have time for virtues.’ Everything has a cycle and patience will serve us best when we remind ourselves of this. I have spoken on the cycle of emotions and how they have a beginning, middle, and end. Once an emotion arises (the beginning) we either hold onto it or resist it and it gets stuck. If we can allow ourselves to settle into it (the middle) and feel it without judgment then it will move through and out of us (the end) completing its full cycle.

Life is much the same way. Everything is impermanent and the sooner we can embrace this the more happiness and joy we will experience. Life is always morphing and changing into something different. We gain new jobs, we switch jobs, and we lose jobs. We marry, divorce, start again. We buy a house, then we sell it and then we move away. This is life, right?

These events can be difficult to embrace. When we face the loss of a job or marriage it can be devastating. We worry and wonder what will happen next. It can be trying to say the very least. But what if we could be so kind and gentle with ourselves by reminding ourselves that something is being exhausted. In other words, something is being finished up or ending so that something new and perhaps very beautiful can come into our life. We can’t see the hidden phenomenon taking place behind the Universal veil; but if we could soften and practice patience eventually it all is made clear.

‘Every cloud has a silver lining.’

In life, just as with emotions, there is a beginning, a middle and an end to everything. You get that new job and you work at it for awhile then it ends for various reasons. When we move on by choice it is easy to accept because we feel we are in control. We consciously made the decision to leave. When we get fired or laid off it doesn’t feel as good, does it? We definitely feel as if we had no control and the loss stings.

This is really where you can begin to practice patience. Remind yourself when obstacles show up there is wisdom within them if you will only listen. The wisdom is this, ‘something is being exhausted and a space is being cleared for something else to move into.’ It’s part of the cycle of life. I think this perspective is much more empowering than feeling at the mercy of life. The Buddhist teaching tells us this is a gift we can give ourselves as it helps us to accept what is and move forward with an attitude of acceptance. I see it also as an opportunity to be grateful.

‘Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time.’ ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

Essentially, every seemingly bad situation has some good aspect to it.. You have to be willing to look for it and practice patience though. If you are stuck in traffic you can practice it. When things don’t go as planned, practice it. Patience can be practiced wherever you feel there are obstacles in your life. Simply remind yourself that something is being finished up! and when it does something even more wonderful will be waiting to fill that space.

Life is always giving us opportunity to practice, how will you do going forward?

Namaste,

Dawn Weaver, CPC
www.treeoflifecoaching.com

Author's Bio: 

When I was a child I was curious about my higher purpose in life and on many occasions asked the question, “Why am I here?” It makes perfect sense looking back that becoming a coach was perfect for me because I have always asked deep and profound questions and my sense of curiosity was at times insatiable! I wanted to understand the real reason for my existence. The answers began coming to me in the shape of desire! I had a burning desire to ease others pain and lift them to a place of joy and hope. As a teen I began reading books to help me understand some of the Universal questions I was seeking and quickly became interested in self-improvement through Spirituality, self-reflection and self-awareness.

My desire to know myself better and to help others has always stayed strong within me. This path of growth led to me explore various practices such as meditation and the well known self-development course, Landmark Education. My journey continued after having children and exploring my life further for its purpose and value. By understanding that my passion is supporting people in their life I began volunteering as a tutor in my children’s elementary school. I could clearly see that one of the main areas these children needed help with was having a sense of belief in themselves. I knew I could bring that level of confidence to them through encouragement and most importantly by believing in them myself. I believed in them with every part of me. After all, don’t we all have a desire to be believed in? Being in the presence of these children was a gift to my life – they have such wonderful insights and views of the world. My favorite part of being with these kids was seeing their faces and smiles as the trust and friendship blossomed between us. Daily interaction gave me opportunities to shine the light on their strengths and wonderful qualities and put a smile on my heart.

This very path – a desire to help others opened up a space within me and led me to coaching. I am a Certified Professional Coach with International Coach Academy (ICA) and a Certified Belief Closet Practitioner. This lovely and exciting field has given me the opportunity to encourage, support and champion people into their true greatness and magnificence. It is what makes me happy and fulfilled. It is my wish for you to have the life of your deepest desires – to embrace who you are – to embrace your life with joy and gratitude. To always be growing and stretching, transforming and morphing into the highest and most profound vision of YOU!

Dawn Weaver
www.treeoflifecoaching.com