“The Obstacle or The Opportunity…You Decide”

“Remember, you are still free to choose. You can accept My help or not. I gave you free will when I created you. You decide.” said the Creator.

Without giving it another thought, The Entrepreneur accepted the Creator’s help.

“Good. Now leave your doubts, your fears and your ‘I cant’s’ and go establish the business I will show you,” said the Creator. “If you follow My instructions, I will make you into a great entrepreneur and will reward you. I will make your business great and you will be successful. Have faith.”

The Entrepreneur took heed to everything the Creator said and began the journey to business success. In the beginning, everything worked fine. Business was great. It was profitable. The management and staff were happy. The consumers’ needs were met, and the stockholders were overjoyed. Success was everywhere.

After some time passed, however, the bottom began to fall out and things got worse. Suddenly, things started going in the opposite direction. Nothing seemed to be working right. The bills were piling high. The debt collectors were ringing the phone off the hook. The business was not profitable anymore. In fact, it was losing money.

Morale suffered. The workers were complaining. Managers were dissatisfied. Investors were walking away. Consumer preferences were changing, and the last created product failed to launch. The prospect of renewed success grew dimmer and failure loomed larger. It was a stormy time for The Entrepreneur.

Feeling dazed, depressed, and defeated, The Entrepreneur turned to the Creator for help who then directed it to the House of Wisdom. “Wisdom always has a word of advice,” said the Creator.

Upon its arrival at the House, The Entrepreneur shared its dilemma. “I’m Stuck.”

“Stuck how?,” asked Wisdom.

“Let me explain….” said The Entrepreneur.

After listening to The Entrepreneur’s concerns, Wisdom did not give any “feel good” advice. Instead, it presented The Entrepreneur with two choices. “You can either look at your current dilemma as a situation to move you further toward your destiny. Or you can look at it as a difficulty that cannot be overcome. Which perspective will you choose? How do you see the situation?”

The Entrepreneur was about to respond but Wisdom continued its "lesson."

“Before you answer, allow me to introduce you to The Obstacle and The Opportunity. They will explain why you should take one of them on your journey to success.”

The Entrepreneur began to panic. “What? How are they supposed to help me? I need something more concrete. This doesn’t make sense!”

Wisdom spoke again. “Calm down. Listen to what they have to say and we can talk later. You’re only looking at part of the picture. “

Still dismayed, The Entrepreneur sat down and said with an impatient tone, “Might as well.”

Ignoring that last comment, Wisdom proceeded with the introductions. “Meet The Obstacle.”

Hello!,” said The Obstacle. “I’m here to block your path to success. No. Let me put that another way. I’m here to place stumbling blocks in your path. No. That’s not right either. I’m here to present you with challenges on your journey. That’s right. I’m here to hamper your progress."

The Entrepreneur was really perplexed now. “What is this?,” as The Entrepreneur glared at Wisdom.

“I came to you for advice and you introduce me to another issue!! I have enough problems!!,” The Entrepreneur shouted. “My business is failing!! I’m losing my livelihood and this is all you got to advise me?”

Not allowing The Entrepreneur to venture into a complete tirade, The Obstacle quickly interjected. “Wait! If you accept me, you will become stronger plus you will gain experience. Even though I provide hard times, you will learn valuable lessons. Look at this way: If the path were smooth, you would have no insights to gain to improve your business. Also, without me, you would never know what it means to exercise your ingenuity. You would never appreciate victory without having obstacles to overcome. So, you should choose me.”

The Entrepreneur turned again to Wisdom. “Look, I’ve had enough! I need help now and you’re giving me more headaches! I don’t believe this!”

Wisdom ignored the insult and said “Don’t leave yet. At least listen to The Opportunity before you go.”

“Why not? I got nothing to lose,” The Entrepreneur stated in a sarcastic tone. Looking at The Opportunity, The Entrepreneur asked, “So what do you have to say, as if this day couldn’t get any more bizarre than it already is?”

“Thank you,” The Opportunity said as it rolled its eyes at The Obstacle. Returning its attention to The Entrepreneur, The Opportunity urged. “Choose me. My real name is Obpourtue. That’s Latin, meaning ‘the perfect moment.’ I’m here to combine the circumstances you’ve encountered up to this point and make them favorable for your purpose.”

“Go on …” said The Entrepreneur who was now intrigued but still cautious at this point.

Continuing its rationale, The Opportunity gave its story and reason for being. “I was coined many years ago during a time when ships, before they headed out to sea, had to wait at their docks until the tides rolled in. If they didn’t wait, the ships would run-a-ground. A ship would have to wait for the perfect moment to get on its way. Back then, the perfect moment for a ship to set sail was when time and the ocean tides came together.”

The Entrepreneur looked perturbed again.

“Stay with me,” said The Opportunity, “I’m going somewhere with this. Now back to my original point. I showed up during moments when the time and the tides of the ocean united for a ship to get on course to a certain destination. Don’t miss this. When the time and the ‘roughness’ of the tides came together, a ship that was originally docked and sitting, could then be pushed out onto a journey to the desired destination. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect when I show up. I simply appear when things come together to create a situation that is favorable for your purpose.”

On that note, Wisdom stepped forward and asked The Entrepreneur, “So what will it be? Will you choose The Opportunity or The Obstacle? You decide.”

The Entrepreneur replayed the explanations in its mind. Both The Obstacle and The Opportunity were two opposing sides but both had presented valid points. The Entrepreneur found it hard to choose which one would be better to deal with to resolve its problems.

After serious consideration, The Entrepreneur finally spoke. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Okay, which one?,“ asked Wisdom.

“I choose them both.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I just realized something. Had it not been for The Obstacle, there would be no Opportunity.”

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Dear reader, let this be a lesson for you.

The obstacle you face may be an opportunity. Know that opportunity comes in various forms and it may not always be obvious especially when one of the ingredients in the mix is an obstacle. The obstacle is something that goes against favorable conditions and it must be present. No matter how things look, remember that all things work together for your good, even the disastrous and chaotic moments.

Opportunity cannot present itself if no “rough” tides present also. There has to be a tremendous push and weight in the “rough” tides in order for your ship to move to the desired destination.

So, be careful. Before you curse your struggles or rebuke the chaos you experience, step back. Make sure you look at your situation because you might be rebuking an opportunity that will get you to where you need to be. Your destiny awaits! What will you choose – The Obstacle or The Opportunity? You decide.