Weekend Quote: Mental Obstacles
March 28, 2009
I love love love this quote/story. I’m not sure who Pierce Vincent Eckhart is but that’s ok. It’s a great story! I’ll let it speak for itself…
When I was a Boy Scout, we played a game when new Scouts joined the troop. We lined up chairs in a pattern, creating an obstacle course through which the new Scouts, blindfolded, were supposed to maneuver. The Scoutmaster gave them a few moments to study the pattern before our adventure began. But as soon as the victims were blindfolded, the rest of us quietly removed the chairs.
I think life is like this game. Perhaps we spend our lives avoiding obstacles we have created for ourselves and in reality exist only in our minds. We’re afraid to apply for that job, take violin lessons, learn a foreign language, call an old friend, write our Congressman - whatever it is that we would really like to do but don’t because of perceived obstacles. Don’t avoid any chairs until you run smack into one. And if you do, at least you’ll have a place to sit down.
Pierce Vincent Eckhart
P.S. I found it here.
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On March 28th, 2009 at 10:13 pm Lizzie said:
Thanks for posting that Roni! I love it, I am going through that right now, being too afraid to actually do what I want to do in life because I am afraid of failure.
On March 29th, 2009 at 12:20 am Jessica said:
I love it!!
On March 29th, 2009 at 12:24 am Priyanka said:
That is really an inspiring and thought provoking quote, thanks for posting that Roni!
On March 29th, 2009 at 1:12 am Sara said:
Very inspiring! Thanks for the quote :)
On March 29th, 2009 at 9:08 am Robyn said:
That’s a great one! Thank you for sharing it. I also really love this one:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children we do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”
(Same website, quote by Marianne Williamson)
On March 29th, 2009 at 9:50 am Tina said:
Thank you so much for that quote. This one and the other one listed by Marianne Williamson is also so inspiring and so helpful and perfect for what I am going through right now. I feel like I am at a crossroads right now, but I’m not moving at all for fear of failure. Thank you!
On March 29th, 2009 at 11:42 am Laura Jane said:
Thanks for sharing that quote. It is very inspiring and so true. Most of the time the things we are afraid o fturn out not to even be problems at all once we just try.
On March 29th, 2009 at 11:49 am Mel said:
I really like that quote, Roni. Thanks for sharing!
On March 29th, 2009 at 12:56 pm Christie said:
I have been trying to decide all day if I should go to this gym class today called “Fit Camp”. I am pretty nervous because I just joined the gym and I am totally not in shape now. Reading things like this really inspire me to just do it!
On March 29th, 2009 at 6:19 pm Cara said:
That is so true. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve not done something for fear of failure or not being good enough or whatever.
I love it… there were no chairs.
We have no obstacles except those that are in our heads. So profound.
On March 29th, 2009 at 6:43 pm KUrunner said:
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye… or trips over a chair.