Eyes on the Road (3)

In my first two posts, we talked about the need for us to NOT look backwards as we strive to move forward, and also to avoid distractions as we go. Just in case you missed both posts, here are the links:

Eyes on the Road (1)

Eyes on the Road (2)

In this post, we'll be learning about obstacles and no, there's no 'driving-in-Lagos' experience to go along with this lesson.Instead, we'll be relating it to hurdles - the sport, which is a form of obstacle racing. 

Before we proceed, what really is an obstacle? According to the Oxford Dictionary, an obstacle is:

"a thing that blocks one's way or hinders progress"

Obstacles, like distractions, come in various forms. They can be physical, economic, political or even cultural. And while we all agree that obstacles - in whatever form they choose to appear in - can be very detrimental to our progress, we must also realize that they are VERY inevitable. The athletes participating in any hurdles event realizes this and don't bother complaining about the obstacles in their lanes. Come to think of it, wouldn't it be absurd to hear a hurdler lament about having to race with so many obstacles in his way? Isn't that supposed to be the beauty of the sport?

It's quite obvious that the point of a hurdles race is for the athletes to get to the finish line in spite of the hurdles in their way. only athletes who successfully scale every hurdle to get to the finish line can ever hope for a place on the winners' podium. Going under hurdles, side-stepping them or even intentionally knocking them down maybe out of frustration would only get one disqualified.

We won't be celebrated for our ability to accurately pinpoint the location of each obstacle or give a vivid description of the form of the obstacle. No one cares to read your analysis (at least, not until you're at the end of the race) and surely no one has time to feel sorry for you. We all have obstacles of our own to deal with, don't we?

It is also important to note that even when faced with obstacles, in form of hurdles this time, the hurdler keeps his/her eyes NOT on the hurdle but on the goal ahead. It is their ability to maintain such unwavering focus on the primary goal, which is the finish line, that equips them to scale each hurdle. We also nee such unwavering focus in our lives to overcome the obstacles in our way.

So once again, keep your eyes on the road (or should I say track this time), try not to knock hurdles over in frustration, do not slow down more that is necessary because that may affect your momentum. Maintain your focus, step over the obstacle in front of you and prepare for the next one ahead. keep doing this and in no time you're at the finish line.'

Happy running!

Towards a better humanity.

Yours sincerely,

Diazno.

NB: Please feel free to leave me a comment if you like what you've read on the blog. It's really encouraging to get some feedback from my readers. Also feel free to share this post with others and direct them to the blog. I greatly appreciate the comments on previous posts.

Thanks for being a part of this.

Eyes on the Road (2)

In my last post (which also happened to be my first), we established that 'forward' is the right and most natural direction to move in. We also established that as we move forward, we are to keep our eyes on the road ahead of us. Easier said than done, right?

The truth is that we are well aware of the need to keep our eyes on the road ahead but some things just won't let us. They come in various forms, shapes and sizes and are present at every point of our journey. They are known by very many names in different languages and cultures but I have come to know them simply as "distractions".

The Merriam Webster Dictionary of English Language defines a distraction as:

"Something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention".

I recall one Saturday morning when I understood clearly how destructive distractions can be. I was heading to work and as I was driving down Ozumba Mbadiwe, I noticed this new billboard with a face that didn't seem so familiar (and some information I thought at that time was important to me). The bottom-line is that I was driving past the billboard and I did the stupid thing - I took my eyes off the road I was driving on and turned to look at the billboard. I could swear it was just for a second but the resultant effect was a near collision with the concrete barrier in the middle of the road - and when I say 'near collision', I mean NEAR COLLISION.

My first instinct after my narrow escape was obviously to say "Thank you Jesus!!!" (I'm Nigerian after all). My next instinct was to talk to/scold myself and I honestly did ask myself, "How stupid can you be? Like really??? You turned around to look at a billboard??!! The information there probably doesn't even concern you and you nearly crashed our car for it. God saved you!". I don't quite remember all the details but I think I hissed at myself after scolding myself (also as a proper Nigerian). While all this was going on, I'm sure 'Mr Distraction' was there watching from a distance, saying to himself "Mission accomplished".

I won't forget that day in a hurry, and I'm guessing that in the past, we all might have had a near-collision experience or worse as a result of one distraction or the other. If we take this experience away from driving and look at it's life application, we'll see that we've made so many good decisions in the past that if we had followed through with would have yielded so many benifits for us. We were doing so well navigating the road ahead until we got distracted, and in what seems like a second we've wasted that business idea, or abandoned our list of new year resolutions, or dropped in the academic rankings in school or even damaged that promising relationship.

It'll only take a second for "Mission accomplished" so whatever you do as you set your goals for 2016 and work through them, don't take your eyes off the road - even for a second.

Yours sincerely,
Diazno