I haven’t resorted to wearing Velcro strap shoes yet. Apparently all the signs are there that I should.

Today I bought some new shoe laces for my boots. After struggling to get the old ratted laces out, I stared at the eyelets and tried to remember how to lace them. So I stared for a while and tried to remember the last time I had put new laces in a pair of shoes. I couldn’t remember.

I’m a problem solver so eventually deduced a way to lace the boots up. Success.

A few years ago, I relearned how to tie my shoes. My laces had been perpetually coming undone for years. I blamed the shoes, the laces, the type of work I was doing. But it wasn’t them. It was me. I was informed that I might be tying my shoes wrong. And I was.

Talk about changing a habit. For weeks I had to slowly walk through the process of tying my shoes. I can now tie them without thinking once again. Score.

Now these are two good reasons for just saying, this is too much trouble. I’ll just start wearing Velcro shoes. But I didn’t give in. I’m glad I didn’t give in. But it’s such a little thing, you say. Why the big deal?

It’s a big deal because it was an obstacle I didn’t choose to go around. The obstacle is the path. And I was staying on my path.

The victory is not that I didn’t start wearing Velcro shoes. The victory is that I didn’t start a habit of going around the obstacle, of avoiding the effort.

The effort of going through the obstacle is what makes you strong. Even in the little things. Especially in the little things. That is where the underlying strength comes to face the big obstacles.

Tie your shoes laces well. The rest will follow.