Obstacle Reflection Cards (Print-N-Play)

8/29/2021

What if...embedded inside a problem were certain benefits. Benefits only for you. What would you do with this information? Ryan Holiday

I recently finished reading Ryan Holiday's, The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumphs. Holiday's books fit in with my morning reading routine - short focused chapters with thought provoking stories and ideas to ponder (on my 45-minute morning commute).

With particular books (like this one), I take 'notes and quotes' to remember. When I finish with a book (I've noted), I go back and read through my notes to anchor in the ideas a bit more.

As I was reading through the things I wanted to remember from Holiday I noticed I'd marked a lot of the text as quotes (with a capital Q). The things I mark in this way are transferred into my quotes folder to peruse for inspiration in moments of need. Right away I could see there were more marked quotes than I usually end up with from any one book. So, an idea came to me - and here we are: Obstacle Reflection Cards.

As team builders we help our groups, all the time, practice working through obstacles (problems) we give them so they can get better at doing it. Holiday shares that overcoming an obstacle is a discipline of three critical steps:

Perception
Action
Will

What a great process to share with our groups (and I love things in threes - easy to remember). The information on the cards I put together from the book can enhance the learning of this process. There are three types of cards (so far - we are in Beta Testing mode).

Critical Steps Cards
These cards are shown above in the header - Perception, Action & Will. I'm thinking, we can frontload a program with the idea of overcoming obstacles and what it takes to do so. Then, bring out the Steps cards. Go over each one and bring up examples/life stories of each. These three cards can also be brought out during a program when there seems to be an 'obstacle' preventing progress - "Which step are we involved with right now?" And, "What do we need to do in order to make some progress through this obstacle?" An easy check in.

Concept Cards

I found these three concepts in my notes - ones that stood out to me as driving reminders when faced with an obstacle. I envision using these cards when moments/emotions arise that connect to these concepts - talking about the concepts when the group is in an emotional moment of recognition. We can also spend a little time defining these concepts in the way the group interprets them. Then, how is the interpretation used during a program.

Quote Cards
The other 24 cards (three examples in the header above) are filled with quotes that have come from the sections in the book about each critical step in the obstacle-facing process. Here are some ideas I have for these cards:

Frontloading with all the quotes face up on the floor and having participants choose a quote that draws them in.
Frontloading again with quotes that fit a story in participant's lives.
Mid-Processing - take a break, scatter all the quotes down and ask, "What quotes do we need right now to help us move forward?"
(Once I know the quotes even better...) Pull out a quote that is directly connected to what is happening with the group. Stop them and ask, "Why did I pull this quote out for you to consider right now?"
At the end of an activity: "What words of wisdom did we follow? What words of wisdom did we miss?"
At the end of a program, set down the Critical Steps cards and challenge the group to place the Quotes Cards under the steps they pertain to. As this is happening, take little learning moments to point out some of the quotes and find out how the group connects them to their program.

Obstacle Reflection Cards