You must read, you must persevere, you must sit up nights, you must inquire, and exert the utmost power of your mind. If one way does not lead to the desired meaning, take another; if obstacles arise, then still another; until, if your strength holds out, you will find that clear which at first looked dark.
- Giovanni Boccaccio
Take a good look at the picture above. It is a brilliant metaphor for life.
The seemingly endless tangle of vines and branches stretch forth to block the obvious path, but there is a distinguishable way out.
In spite of the all but clear path, look around. The daylight has not been filtered out, which means there are actually paths in every direction. Your path may be laden with every conceivable obstacle that the forest can muster in your way, requiring you to climb up, over, around and through the mess. Your path could also be quite unhindered, requiring you to merely crouch or crawl beneath the tangled maze into the clearing of success and happiness.
We all will face obstacles to varying degrees. Naturally, if your path is more cumbersome, you will have a greater sense of appreciation for where you've come from and the journey it took to get to where you currently are or are heading.
Regardless of your journey's ease or difficulty, be sure to look back at the woods with gratitude for the lessons learned, the goals you accomplished, the struggle you've overcome. Never let people demean this achievement.
The stage upon which you ultimately stand may be small in comparison to others who fared much better, but your quest to get there may have very well required ten times the effort. Be grateful for knowing that you have the capability to endure.
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.
- Booker T. Washington
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