The Nature of Obstacles

Obstacles are everywhere. They slow you down. They block your path. Some seem insurmountable.

But here's what's important: obstacles aren't evidence that you're on the wrong path. Obstacles are evidence that you're trying to leave your comfort zone.

If you encounter no obstacles, you're likely not growing. The obstacles themselves signal that you're attempting something worthwhile.

There are three primary obstacle categories: fear, mindset, and pressure. Understanding each lets you navigate them strategically.

Fear: Real vs. Imagined

Fear serves a purpose. In genuinely dangerous situations — life-threatening, health-threatening — fear is essential. It keeps you alive. It protects those you love.

But in learning contexts, most fear is imagined, not real.

Think of alien movies. Humans encounter aliens and imagine catastrophic scenarios. Or someone knocks on your door unexpectedly. You don't know if they're a threat or need help. You imagine possibilities.

Here's what's crucial: people fear what might happen in the future while ignoring what's actually happening in the present.

Fear lives in imagination. It's not about current reality. It's about fictional futures you construct in your mind.

The more detailed your imagined future, the greater your fear becomes. You paint increasingly vivid disaster scenarios. Your mind treats imagination as reality.

When Fear Arrives: Ask the Right Question

If you find yourself experiencing fear, answer this with complete honesty:

Be detailed. Specific. Real.

"I'm afraid of failing the certification exam."

Which parts are real right now?

• The exam hasn't happened yet (not real)
• You might not pass it (possible, but not real yet)
• Failing would mean you're incompetent (interpretation, not reality)
• You'll never be able to try again (false)

What is real right now?

• You're studying material
• You're learning concepts
• You're building capability

The gap between imagined fear and actual reality is usually enormous.

Failure as a Learning Mechanism

Here's something to remember, write down, and display where you see it daily:

Failure is essential to learning. No one has ever acquired a skill without making mistakes.

Your failures aren't setbacks. They're momentum. They're data. They're how you climb higher.

Think of climbing a steep hill. You reach a point and slip back. That moment of slipping teaches you something crucial: "This path doesn't work. I need a different approach."

The next attempt, you remember. You take a different path. You climb higher.

Many people, facing that slipping point, simply give up. They sit there hoping somehow they'll ascend without moving. Even if someone throws them a rope, it does no good if they don't move.

Mindset: The Beliefs That Hold You Back

Your mindset is a collection of thought processes you've unconsciously acquired. These processes help you avoid difficult situations or efforts.

They often come from upbringing. A child constantly criticized for efforts and outcomes develops a fixed mindset: "I'm not good at this." A child never criticized becomes overconfident and can't evaluate their abilities realistically.

A mindset is a set of beliefs — some culturally learned, some personally developed. For example: "Eye contact shows interest." True in many cultures. In Japan, it's considered invasive and rude. Same behavior, different belief systems.

Your mindset shapes your internal dialogue:

• "I cannot do this"
• "This is not for me"
• "I don't understand this"
• "I'm not smart enough"

These aren't facts. They're beliefs. And beliefs can be changed.

The Power of "Yet"

Here's a simple, powerful tool: add the word "yet."

• "I cannot do this yet."
• "This is not for me yet."
• "I don't understand this yet."

This tiny word transforms your belief system. It shifts from fixed ("I can't") to growth-oriented ("I can't now, but I can develop the ability").

This activates your brain's belief in possibility. It opens pathways for progress.

All obstacles and feelings that prevent you are temporary. Feelings pass. Goals remain.

Three Interconnected Concepts

People often see these as obstacles:

Talent — a strongly developed skill with high efficiency

Skill — the ability to manage or solve something well

Passion — emotional commitment to a particular area

Many believe these are separate and limiting. "I don't have talent for this" becomes "I can't do this."

But these three aren't obstacles. They're interconnected and mutually reinforcing:

• Passion drives you to practice
• Practice builds skill
• Skill with dedication becomes talent

The direction flows from goal to capability, not from "talent" to goal. You don't need inherent talent to pursue your goal. You build talent by pursuing your goal passionately.

Pressure: Internal and External

These influences create stress — your organism's reaction to pressure.

Internal Pressures come from your beliefs, attitudes, and character traits. Perfectionism, for example. It drives you to do everything flawlessly, quickly, perfectly. This trait has advantages (high quality) and disadvantages (burnout, rigidity).

These internal pressures operate unconsciously and express as emotions. You feel overwhelmed. You think: "Why continue? I'm not up for this."

Because these operate subconsciously, willpower alone won't solve them. You need to shift your brain into a different mode.

One powerful mode shift is creativity.

Creative activities (music, drawing, writing, building) force your brain to invent something new. This requires different thought processes than dealing with pressure-inducing tasks. Your brain can't simultaneously worry about perfectionism and create something new. The creative process demands novel thinking.

When you're stuck in pressure spirals, engage in creativity. Not to distract yourself, but to shift your brain's operational mode.

External Pressures come from others: what they think, what they say, deadlines they set, attempts to influence you negatively.

Many people criticize others to boost their own ego. Their statements have little to do with you or your actual abilities. If someone says you can't do something, you can smile internally and add "yet" to their statement. If they say they're better than you, you can note: "Not yet."

Here's what matters: you only feel hurt by criticism from people you value highly.

A stranger calling you "idiot" has minimal impact. Your respected mentor saying the same thing strikes hard. You attribute weight to their opinion.

If you have a clearly defined goal that excites you, few people will deter you. Especially if you know you can achieve it. A powerful goal acts as an anchor against external pressure.

The Evaluation Paradox

Remember this:

Your unique circumstances, your specific context, your particular challenges — no one else has walked your exact path. Anyone evaluating you from outside is making assumptions.

This doesn't mean ignore all feedback. But it means: weigh feedback based on its source's relevance to your actual situation.

Someone who's never pursued security credentials has no basis to evaluate whether you should. Someone who learned differently might have insights, but not verdicts about your capability.

Your path is yours. Your evaluation of progress matters most.

Exercise 1 — Do an obstacle pre-mortem

Choose a goal you care about, then:

1. List 5 obstacles likely to appear
2. For each obstacle, write one “default response” (what you’ll do when it happens)

Question 1 — What’s the most useful way to reframe obstacles during learning?

Next Lesson

With obstacles conquered, the next lesson teaches the powerful skill of asking better questions.

Next: Asking Better Questions