What Harry Potter has to teach us about facing obstacles
It’s only a matter of perspective
It was a Sunday afternoon when I put down a hard copy of the book “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday. I had finally managed to finish it after a week’s struggle.
Right after I finished the book, I had a eureka moment. This is exactly what the famed author J.K. Rowling has been trying to tell us through her Harry Potter series.
Assuming you’ve read Harry Potter you would know what a Boggart is and be familiar with the Riddikulus charm. For those who are not familiar with these terms, here’s a quick primer on the subjects.
A boggart is a shape-shifter. It doesn’t have an identity or a shape of its own. When you face a boggart, it takes the shape of the thing you fear the most. If you fear snakes, then good luck in facing a boggart as it’ll take the shape of the deadliest snake you can imagine when it comes face-to-face with you.
The Riddikulus charm, on the other hand, is a piece of magic that turns a boggart from its terrifying form to something ridiculous. In short, by casting a Riddikulus charm you can turn that deadliest snake of yours to something like an elephant on roller-skates.
Now, the question is, what do all these have to do with obstacles?
It’s quite simple, actually.
Your obstacles are like a boggart. They can seem terrifying if you want to look at them that way. The moment you realise that they aren’t some mountain you can’t climb or not an unbreakable wall, they lose their power and becomes a mere stone in your path that you can easily step over.
We’re bombarded with obstacles every day. If you start ranting about them all the time, you’re actually holding yourself back from progress. Stop judging your obstacles as a permanent roadblock and start seeing them as a mere detour.
Life will seem much easier and goals attainable.
And that, my friend, is your Riddikulus charm in real life. Available to you in unlimited supply. Use it all you want.
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“How to avoid ‘design by committee’ and why you should at all costs” by @SimonMcCade https://medium.com/@SimonMcCade/how-to-avoid-design-by-committee-and-why-you-should-at-all-costs-8e8ce78c1058
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