Obstacle

In my daily quest to always find the meaning of each and every day I recently started reading a book titled "The Obstacle Is The Way". I am not to far into the book but so far it details how society reacts to anything that stands in their way. Whether it be a failure, a boss, a co-worker, health, family, etc...we have taught ourselves that failure is negative and should be avoided at all costs. When times get tough most people would rather choose the easy way out instead of putting all your cards in and fighting the good fight. I have heard plenty of people over the years tell me they wish they had the courage, determination, guts or ability to achieve their dreams. Well I am here to tell you that anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself and constantly learn from your experiences.

The picture above is far from an obstacle that has been presented to me in life. There are times when trying to be the best dad in the world combined with everything gets tiring? Well of course but to see the smiles on these girls faces makes anything tiring worth every single second. I have 100% confidence in myself when attacking goals and I know that if they are not achieved today I will one day with the right building blocks accomplish anything. I will admit however that just like every successful person that there is always a weakness in the armour. When my weakness is exposed though I always have a back up plan and my back up plan is these three girls. They are my strength when needed and still to this day they think I am a super hero...ha ha!!!

I am not sure what the correlation is but in my sport of triathlon I have met some extremely amazing people over the years that have been dealt with more obstacles then one can imagine. Obstacles that would make most people just curl up in a corner and hope for the end. However each and everyone of these people took the experience for what it really is...a learning experience. Obstacles are learning experiences which either teach us what we did wrong or they are learning experiences in how we can be better people through spreading the word of hope and determination to everyone else.

Life has blessed me with an amazing friend who has been battling injury for a couple years and just when he gets better another one comes on thus limiting him from a sport he loves. He had to retire from a sales job that he held for over 20 years due to disagreements with organizational developments. On top of that his wife (who is also pretty amazing) recently was diagnosed with the pre-stages of multiple myeloma. Most people would shut down if these events had happened to them but not this guy. I think one day I saw him depressed and shut down for about 30 seconds and then snapped out of it. The positivity that this guy creates in a room is about as contagious as it comes. I always look forward to our meetings as I always walk away thinking I can take over the world. He has been dealt numerous obstacles in life but I think in his mind he doesn't see them as obstacles but more as what can I do to make myself and those around me better. Do you have someone like this in your life? If you do then hold on and really listen to them as they will change your life.

As most know this year as been a very busy year for the Oergels. All great events but none the less about as busy as it comes. Well my consistent triathlon training took a back seat or maybe just got thrown out of the window completely. Yesterday I competed in the Eagleman 70.3 (half ironman) race in cambridge, MD. Going into the race I truly had no idea what to expect. I knew first off that a PR probably wouldn't happen and the goal was mostly survival...ok I lie my competitive juices said a 4:45 time. The obstacle in my way this race was the obvious...almost no training since February and only on my bike a handful of times all year. The day before I had the most amazing, positive, confident day ever before a race as I knew deep down that no obstacle is impossible as long as I do what my daughter always says...go out and do your best as that is all that matters in life. In the end I came across the finish line in 4:54 and although no PR in hand the race felt more accomplished than any other race I have done in my life. Sometimes its not about the medals (although they are nice) but more about the journey and learning who you are as a person.

I challenge you daily to take obstacles head on for what they are...just a learning experience. If the thought makes your stomach turn then I suggest you start small and build upon it. I guarantee you will learn more about yourself and your confidence will blossom during the journey.

Make It Count!!!

This blog also goes out to my very good friend Nicole who also embodies what it takes to spread the good word of just do your best and the rest will take care of itself. She is an amazing person and 100% in my circle of people who make my life better.