Don’t let anything stand in your way

Terre Haute, IN: Tanglewood

c2007

Marietta led Arthur across the deck and down the gangway towards the cabins below.

The captain’s quarters of the Elkhart shimmered with polished brass, hand-rubbed mahogany, and sparkling crystal. A large bed covered with an inviting feather comforter nearly filled the room. The piano music brightened the warm air. Marietta sat down on one corner of the bed and motioned for Arthur to sit beside her.

“Wouldn’t it be great to have all this?” she asked. “Wouldn’t you just love to take this beautiful ship out for a sail whenever you wanted to?”

“It would be nice,” Arthur said, sitting on the bed. “When I own a boat like this, it will be because I own some really cool company of my own. Something I start from scratch. Something that everyone else wishes they were doing.” He smiled. Decide what you want, his father had said, and then go for it. Don’t let anything stand in your way.

“And as the owner and president,” Marietta said, fussing with her hair, “you’d do things to make it all worthwhile—like go golfing all over the world, and have servants cook and clean for you, and drive really fast cars. Or better yet, hire a chauffeur and make him drive really fast!”

Arthur smiled. “And I’ll have a mansion on an island somewhere, and the only way to get to it is by boat. And I’d live out there, and I’d write fantastic novels, and I’d fly my own plane around to inspect my companies, and I’d give money to the library and the school and the Little League in town, and everyone there would think I was great. And then, when I died, I’d be buried in the little cemetery overlooking the harbor, and teachers would bring elementary-school students out to see my grave, and they would talk about me for hundreds of years, and the whole island would be preserved as a museum until one day, without warning, it disappeared into the sea and was never seen again.”

Marietta stared at him. “You’re kind of strange, you know that?” she said, a perplexed scowl flashing briefly across her face. “That is really bizarre. Fortunately, I happen to like bizarre guys. Especially when they’re Captain.” She pressed against his side and looked directly into his hazel eyes.

Extract contributed by Manemegalai d/o Annamalai, Associate Librarian

“Decide what you want, his father had said, and then go for it. Don’t let anything stand in your way.” We often hear these words of encouragement – do you think they are helpful?

13 Responses to “Don’t let anything stand in your way”

Letha Says:
February 6th, 2012 at 10:52 pm
In a way, very helpful. In another point of view, completely redundant advice.

In life, we are often met with difficult decisions at critical points of our lives. As a student, maybe you’ll have to decide what you are going to be studying at ‘O’ and ‘A’ level, and later on, university level. Sometimes, interest, and passion collides with other factors like parental pressure, expectations from others, or even realism.

At this particular point in MY life, I’m faced with the (to me, at least) very important and scary decision of whether I should be taking Chemistry at ‘A’ level. Friends have offered me the almost exact same words of encouragement.

But 1) how easy is it, really, to decide what you really want? They often say “follow your heart”..but sometimes, don’t our hearts tell us different things, especially when our minds interrupt?

and 2) “go for it”-it isn’t really that easy to do. A realistic and mature person would take into consideration the other influencing factors, and not blindly jump into something without thought or consideration.

It’s not all that simple..but yet sometimes, yes, we should just go forth and DO what which we know we want to do. And when we have decided on our paths, nothing should deter us from our chosen paths and choices. Because the choice is ours – and it has been made.
Estella Says:
February 7th, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Personally, I feel that such words would empower me and make me strive to aim for greater heights. I normally enjoy the process of improving and honing my abilities, and the outcome is just another reward that comes in a package of entire journey. On the other hand, I confess that my pride does push me along on the way most of the time. Everyone loves compliments in one form or another, and I myself will continuously urge myself to rise up to the occasion in order to gain recognition and respect from others, which is something that I strongly desire.

However, there are time where I find myself at dead ends or cross roads, mainly because I do not know what I want, or because I do not know which choice would be the correct one. In my opinion, it is not at all easy to go for whatever that I want. I tend to weigh the implications and consequences of my actions before making a critical decision, using logical rationalising to justify my choice. While it is easy for others to say “Trust your heart, go for what you really want,” the decision must be thoroughly thought through. More often then not, such choices would not only affect you, but the people dearest to you. I would not let my feelings get in the way of reason.

“Decide what you want, then go for it. Don’t let anything stand in your way.” The truth is, some things are easier said then done.
Hengyi Says:
February 7th, 2012 at 8:56 pm
This words are a great motivation to everyone. Many times in life, we are sure to run into different difficulties. However, the phrase “Do not let anything stand in your way” will give one encouragement to overcome this hardship and strive to acheive his goal. Everytime i hear this phrase, i will feel more energize to work towards my goal. I will find all means to try to overcome anything that i cannot. These words can change a person who is negative thinking. If these few words are repeated to him many times, he would start to get influenced by it and thus might start to think more positively everytime he runs into any trouble.I feel that words of encouragement are very important in our lives. It works as a motivation to kick start our engines and make us work harder and be more determined to strive and acheive our goals.
Valen Says:
February 11th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
These words are reminders that to stick to what we believe in and never give up. You never know whether u wil succeed or not until either u have suceeded or you gave up. Failure is but a stepping stone to victory, giving up is the true defeat. The words are helpful in keeping in encouraging us to persevere, but they are nothing but wise words of wisdom, it’s helpfulness depends on the determination of the receiver. Telling a friend never to give up in a marathon, is only as helpful as the determination he possesses. Wanting to never give up alone is not enough, sheer willpower to hang on is key
Zachary Says:
February 12th, 2012 at 3:05 pm
These words are often said to us to strive for the best, but I personally feel that they are redundant most of the time. If we have decided to attain something and are determined enough to get it, we would not let anything or anybody to interfere and hinder us, so even without hearing these words, we would naturally tend to make things happen. It is not the encouragement that makes us able to complete our objective, but our determination to complete it in the first place. Thus, I find these words pointless and not helpful at all, since they are stating the obvious.
jerrold Says:
February 13th, 2012 at 1:22 am
These words are without doubt helpful as it can serve as a platform of motivation for us when it is very clear to us what is our final goal. However, it is not the path in reaching our goal that is difficult, as the human mind is a very powerful tool and can work wonders when we set our mind onto certain thing, and succeeding is never difficult if we just put our mind into it. The difficult part is making the decision and actually putting your mind onto something. As making choices is often something that most people find hard to do as we are often either too lazy, too afraid or so on. If it is important, there would always be a way, if not there would always be an excuse. And most people would rather find an excuse of why it is not important rather than work on it. That is why although the words are helpful, it is focused on an aspect that does not need much help.
Lim Kang Yin Says:
February 18th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
“Don’t let anything stand in your way, go for it.” we often hear this words as encouragement but it never fails to motivate me everytime i hear it. Nothing is impossible and all problems we face can be solved in one way or another. We just have to find out how! These words are like the little sparks that will lead to a starting a fire and very often, when we feel like giving up or when we are scared to try something new, we need these words of encouragement to give us a small push and things will work out eventually. We will feel superior at the moment when we hear it, having the feeling and ability that we can pass all obstacles. I believe that the words are helpful to almost everyone, in which we will feel supported to do things when we know someone is behind us and giving us recognition. So, why not give your words of encouragement to your friends when you see them feeling dejected because of some problems they faced?
Yap Qi Says:
February 28th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I personally feel that these words are useless as people can encourage all they want – anyone and everyone can give words of encouragement – but what matters and really makes a difference is whether these people actually make a move to help you. “Don’t let anything stand in your way, go for it.” These words can be said by anyone, but those who truly care would actually go far beyond those words and do the utmost they can to help you. It seems like a demanding and pessimistic point of view, that only those who care will help you. Unfortunately, that is actually the truth. If I really cared about someone, I would go beyond tossing a few words at him/her, and actually do something like accompanying them to whatever challenge they face, and cheering them on all the way.
Also, what makes these words motivational are probably those who say them. I can have 10 classmates saying the same thing, but if my mother says the same thing, I would definitely treasure her words more, and it would be those words that spur me on to work hard. After all, we often work hard so as to make those we love proud of us.
Pamela Says:
July 3rd, 2012 at 10:16 pm
It is really funny that such words come out of our own mouths, as advice to others whenever they are down, yet when we ourselves are down, such words never comes into our head and instead we think about the horrible situation we are now in, complaining and feeling threatened. However, in truth they are truly helpful advices, because often the simplest advices in life are just the truths that we are unable to accept. Yet, it seems so simple that people do not see how it is a big philosophy of life from a famous person. Just like a simple advice of telling someone that there will always be a rainbow after a storm, it is something we are all aware of. However, it can only be helpful to us when we remind ourselves of such advices and quotes when we face challenges and encourage ourselves. Furthermore, if we are able to use it to encourage someone else, why not use it to encourage ourselves too!
Jessica Leow Says:
August 10th, 2012 at 11:58 pm
“Decide what you want, his father had said, and then go for it. Don’t let anything stand in your way”
In our everyday lives, it is inevitable that we will meet problems, setbacks, people and happenings that just seem to test our patience and resilience. It can be in the form as a major relationship problem, or even minor everyday problems. Therefore, we often hear words of encouragement, words that encourage us to stand up again and face the problem bravely. However, often are these words really helpful, or are they just mere talk?
Well, I choose to believe that these words of encouragement are really helpful in encouraging us to be brave, and help us make our right decisions. Often we have these setbacks or are afraid to let others know what we truly feel because deep down in our hearts, we are filled with uncertainty and fear that others will criticise us. We are afraid of letting others know our true self, as we are uncertain if others will still accept us and look at us in the same light as before. In times like this, words of encouragement by our family, friends and probably even strangers can serve as words of assurance, letting us feel a little more certain in our mindsets. These encouragement boost our confidence, be it small or little, allowing us to feel more assured, protected and loved. Hence, words of encouragement do strengthen us, giving us the confidence to make our own decisions.
However, in reality, some problems that we face lead us to a sense of lost and uncertainty. In these cases, words of encouragement are just mere talk that does not serve any purpose.
Anni Says:
August 11th, 2012 at 1:08 am
“Decide what you want and then go for it. Don’t let anything stand in your way.” Yes, these words may be simple but I feel as simple as they may be, they can be the most encouraging words in the world. People often face setbacks, discouragements and failures in their lives, they may feel hurt and dejected, but these are the words that never fail to pick them up from their falls. Personally, I feel that these words have the ability to make me strive harder and achieve the things that I aim for. These encouragements are the right words that are able to help one to regain his or her confidence.
However, these words of encouragements may be easier said than done. One has to weigh the positive and negative implications of his or her decisions before making a crucial decision. This is when follow-your-heart may seem irrational. Therefore, logical reasoning should be made as your decisions and actions may have a great impact on the people around you.
Jingheng Says:
August 15th, 2012 at 10:20 pm
These words tend to be very helpful at times. There are people who are faced with having to make decisions time after time and they may suspect their judgement at a certain point of time when they cannot decide whether to go according to the wishes of others or do what they think is best.
Here, these words come very well into place as people sitting on the fence would get ‘tipped over’ to the other side and choose to believe in themselves. I believe that these words are very encouraging as it is important to believe in yourself and trust your instinct at times because there are really no right or wrong choice in life. Just good or better ones.
However, if you do really get into such a situation and you are faced with constant difficulties ahead of you, whether you would go ahead and chase your dream would be another issue. In our current society, people tend to play it the safer way instead of venturing out of their comfort zone and do what they think should be done. This proves a difficult decision to make for everyone and such words may not be always effective.
Therefore, in actual fact, it is actually easier said than done, but I would really appreciate such words of encouragement as it gives you believe and faith in yourself and your future.
Cheryl Tay Says:
August 20th, 2012 at 9:31 pm
The first thoughts upon hearing such words of encouragement would probably be – thank you for your encouragement, but really, easier said than done. However, I still think that such encouragement is helpful because it depends on how the recepient wants to accept it and make good use of it.

Of course, encouragement will not solve any problem or directly give us courage and determination to ‘just go for it’. Rather, I believe that encouragement from others is more of something which reminds us that we should affirm ourselves and set ourselves in the right attitude. Mere words can never automatically give us the strength we need to overcome whatever that stands in our way, but we can choose to think that at least there are people who are supporting us in our pursuit towards a goal, and that we should accept and try to adopt the message behind these words of encouragement to work harder. Otherwise, those who think that encouragement are meaningless words will just be building a wall between the supporter and themselves, and choose not to receive or think about the meaning behind it. In other words, I think that encouragement does not serve to set us in the right attitude to push on, but reminds us that we should find the right attitude ourselves to carry on.