Karla’s Korner: Facing Life’s Obstacles

Facing Life’s Obstacles

Happy little girl

Facing Life’s Obstacles: Lessons Learned From a Little Girl….

Every afternoon around 4:30 p.m. she begins her ritual. Always dressed in pink workout gear, sneakers and a headset, and her long black hair falling loosely down her back she runs up and down the hill by my house time after time. This ritual began many months ago; first just a few trips up and back and now many more. By the looks of it she will continue this process for quite some time. I don’t know her. I don’t know her name, her age (although she appears to be around 10) and have only a vague idea of where she lives on my street, yet every day I look for her. Every day I wait and then keep watch as she makes each trek to the stop sign and back down the hill. Knowing nothing about her I rely on what I see to merely guess that she is trying to get in shape. When I first noticed her all those months ago I myself was facing huge obstacles with being overweight and could only guess that she too was battling the same battle. Initially her steps were heavy and slow; as time passes with each day and each step it is apparent that her endurance has strengthened and her steps appear less heavy and the trips past my house have grown in number. She stays focused making sure to stay at the edge of the street looking ahead eyes filled with determination. This little girl may never know what an inspiration she is to me and possibly others who watch her every afternoon. At such a young age it is obvious that she made a conscious decision to tackle a difficult obstacle in her way of better health and fitness. Choosing to do it in such a public way is both honorable and impressive.

All too often we adults find ourselves faced with uphill battles and choose to turn and walk away leaving the battle lost or simply left alone to face it another day; if we choose to face it at all. More times than not we choose to keep certain struggles on the proverbial shelf hoping that if left alone they will disappear. Just like the little girl on my street, we must make the decision to tackle those battles or obstacles one long hard step at a time. What we will find is that by taking on the battle step by step the size of the challenge will diminish because when broken down into “parts” not only is it easier to tackle but smaller “parts” are less overwhelming.

As I turn to look out the open window, the sun is shining, the robins are dancing in the front yard and before I see her I hear her quick steps landing in the gravel at the edge of the road. Today she appears to be smiling. I wonder if her smile is because spring is almost here and she is well on her way to winning her battle; whatever her battle is. One of these days I may go out and thank her for her inspiration but for now I will use her image to remind myself that in order to grow and learn we must face life and its obstacles head on one sometimes small step at a time; and as our endurance grows so will our steps.

Whatever obstacles you face in your life I encourage you to face them head on with the same determination that this little unknown girl openly faces each day. Taking on life with a positive “can do” attitude is key to not only achieving success but in allowing us to live the best life we can. In closing I share the words of Blaze Olamiday “To achieve anything in life, first you have to believe you can, that will keep pushing you never to give up till it comes to past.”

Peace,
Karla

I am proud to introduce a new column to Madame Deals! I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy!

Read more Karla’s Korner , also please visit Karla’s Lifetime Moms page and read her articles.

Check out Karla’s 24 Day Advocare Challenge updates!

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