How Obstacles Can Become Opportunities

Written by Kiwi Champ and is filed under the Category: "Obstacles"

I recently learned that one of my jazz guitar heroes, Reinhardt Django, turned a major obstacle into an extraordinary opportunity. His outstanding and unique technique which made him famous was born out of adversity.

A fire broke out in Reinhardt’s trailer home. A candle had been tipped over and it fell into some celluloid flowers which ignited in an instant. Reinhardt Django’s left hand and right side from the knee to waist were badly burned as a result of this fire. It took him 18 months to recover.

Even then his recovery was not 100%. The fourth and fifth fingers of his left hand were permanently curled towards the palm of his hand. This was caused by the tendons shrinking in the heat of the fire. How could he ever play jazz guitar again?

Reinhardt could use these two damaged fingers but with great limitations. He could not extend them beyond the first two strings of his guitar. But Reinhardt was not stopped by this limitation. In fact because of his determination to achieve his dream he turned this obstacle into an opportunity.

With great determination he created a completely new fingering system. This new technique contributed to his fame. As a result of his expertise, he was invited to become a member of the famous Hot Club of France.

Because of his relentless focus on the fulfillment of his dream despite the handicap that was thrown his way, he created a new fingering technique that left his audiences in awe and made him famous.

What an inspiration!
It does not matter what obstruction you may meet with in life. What matters is what you do with it!

What can you and I learn from Reinhardt’s example?
Any obstacle can be turned into an opportunity. It simply takes:

Desire.
Do you REALLY want to achieve your goal? Is it something you are passionate about?

Determination.
The adversity that comes your way is a test of the reality of your desire to reach your objective. It can be an opportunity in disguise, or it can be an excuse to quit. It’s your choice. The option you decide on will reveal just how strongly you want to succeed.

Discipline.
It may take a lot of extra work and practice to overcome the obstacle that has presented itself. However, if you have passed the test of desire and determination, applying discipline will be easy.

You too CAN overcome any obstacle and turn it into an opportunity! It CAN be done. Notice Reinhardt’s fingers in the video below.