Why Obstacles in Life Are Necessary and Even Desirable

By Darren Richards

 As lawyers, we seem to deal with obstacles every day:

• We get the bank to advance a loan by making sure funding conditions are met,
• We finalize a contract by negotiating terms with a party having opposite interests, and
• We close a real estate transaction after dealing with title or survey issues.

These conditions, personal interests, and contract issues are obstacles to getting something done. Lawyers expect this of course – It’s the very definition of what lawyers do. As with any task or career, as we deal with it every day, the job seems less and less onerous. In other words, less scary and we get better at dealing with it. However, if you are like me, in all other areas of life, we want to avoid obstacles at all costs. I have learned that is not healthy or practical.

Here are three reasons why:

1. Obstacles always exact a price but always deliver a reward. The little ones (the person ordering specialty drinks for the whole office slipping ahead of you in the Starbucks line) might just result in lost time but give you in exchange a lesson in patience. The larger ones (bankruptcy, unemployment, rogue business partners) may require courage, counsel, or forgiveness but will result in renewed strength, wisdom and peace. This isn’t a new concept. Consider these statements:                                                                                       

“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”  – Walt Disney

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” – James 1:2-4 (NLT)

2. Obstacles might mean you’re doing the right thing. Theodore Roosevelt said, “The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.” If you want to accomplish nothing in life, avoid obstacles, trials, and anything difficult. Business coach and publishing executive Michael Hyatt has said, “Every vision ultimately encounters opposition. If it doesn’t, it probably means the vision isn’t big enough.” C.S. Lewis once stated, “Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.”

3. Obstacles give you great stories to tell – and lessons to teach. How many stories have you told about going to the corner store, buying a loaf of bread, paying for it, and coming home? Exactly none. Why? There is nothing there to tell. All went well. There’s no excitement and nothing learned. However, how many movies were made and legends born from the incredible Apollo space mission? President Kennedy actually gloated about the difficulties and trials that needed to be overcome in his famous 1961 speech: “I believe this Nation should commitment itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.”

In a law office, we often find ourselves saying to each other that we would like just one “normal real estate” closing a month. Meaning of course, we thirst for an easy un-eventful file. Of course, we do – we’re human. We want things easy. When I look back on 20 plus years of legal experience, I can say with certainty that I grew more as person, learned the best lessons, and relish telling the stories about those monster-in-the-closet deals that made my insides mush and my head spin. I didn’t like them at the time of course and I still don’t actively seek such files (indeed, I’ve created systems and processes to minimize them – hence the great lessons learned). But, when I remind myself of these three core truths, it sure does help when a file goes sidewise.

Darren Richards is a partner with Richards Hunter Toogood. He focuses on both residential and commercial Real Estate and Corporate/Commercial Law serving both small and medium sized owner-managed business in the Edmonton and surrounding region. Mr. Richards also acts for major banking institutions and other lenders in relation to their commercial loan facilities. Reach him at: d.richards@rht-law.ca or www.rht-law.ca.    

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