Obstacles - how do you cope?

Obstacles are an integral part of life. When the Buddha said life was difficult, surely one of the things he was referring to was the fact that humanity faced obstacles of every kind. Over time, the nature of obstacles may have changed, but challenges remain. 

So how do you deal with obstacles? 

Here is the funny thing -  obstacles are universal. Every person, man, woman, or child, faces them. The nature and intensity can vary depending on how you live your life. But you cannot escape. 

So, how do some people manage to make it seem so effortless? Tom Cruise jumping off a cliff with a motorcycle again and again until he gets it right.

Or Roger Federer playing in front of millions as though the hand, racquet ball, and, in fact, the entire court are always within reach? 

Roger Federer recently went on record to say, "Effortless is a myth. I work very hard to make it look effortless." 

So what is this effort that he is making that you and I cannot make? 

Why do you and I struggle to not eat a cookie when a Federer can go years without (at least the proverbial cookie, since I don't know what he eats)?

The science to understand it exists. Breaking down tasks and deliberate practice. 

We get overwhelmed when we see a task in front of us.

Think of the group of men and women who left Africa for better food. If they had to imagine achieving their goal of reaching India or the United States, they would give up before they started. 

More likely, they kept walking every day. Each evening, they would probably check in to see where they were and if they were safe. They did not even know what existed beyond. No one had been there before. 

That is the way to make life easier than it is. Break it down and make deliberate stops. Don't stop moving. That time will come. 

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