get to the other side

Once, there was an eccentric wealthy man who was hosting a grand party at his house. As he was enjoying his time with the guests, he took them to his backyard and showed them his swimming pool which was filled with alligators. In a merry mood, he announced to his guests, “Anyone who will swim across my pool will get anything that they want from me.”

Since this was such a dangerous ordeal, no one showed any interest in participating in this challenge, after all, it was a matter of life and death. They all hesitated and said no to the billionaire. And then all of a sudden they heard a big splash in the pool.

Everyone looked over and gasped as they saw a man swimming as fast as he could, dodging the alligators and maneuvering his way around them frantically. He made it to the other side alive just at the right time and jumped out of the pool in a state of sheer panic. The wealthy man came over to him and remarked, “This is unbelievable. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met in my life. You’ve passed the challenge, now tell me what would you like me to give you?” The man, still recovering from this ordeal, said, “Right now, what I want more than anything else is to know the name of the person who pushed me into the pool.”

Sometimes, in life, it feels as if we got “pushed” into bad circumstances that we neither anticipated nor wanted. Even if it may be a shock to us, we need to believe that there’s a reason why this challenge was thrown at us. We were meant to go through this ordeal and instead of getting bogged down, we need to push ourselves through. We need to take relevant action, give it our best, and dodge the obstacles that come our way so that we are able to survive and get to the other side. 

Only when we are pushed against the wall, we discover our inner strength and determination to not only overcome the challenge that lies in front of us but also step out as better than we were before. 

If we look in the right light, the obstacles that come our way are nothing but opportunities in disguise that bring out the best in us; they help us grow, refine and redefine ourselves. Sometimes, we need setbacks in our life to identify our true power and become the person who we were meant to be. 

Whenever obstacles and monumental challenges come your way, just focus on getting to the other side. You’ll be able to tap into the inner strength within you and emerge victorious in the end.