As I sat down to write out this latest installment of my adventures in awesomesauce, I met with a predicament of sorts. I felt no motivation whatsoever. It was an icy, snowy miserable morning. I have had a list of things that I have earnestly planned on doing for about a week now. Every day I have woken up with the firm intention to get these errands accomplished. Every day, every single day, some sort of obstacle rudely intervened.

First it snowed yet again. This added to the preexisting layer of wintry debris on the streets of Decatur. Nothing fills me with fear and dread quite like the mere thought of trying to drive down an icy, slushy road. So I reluctantly postponed my plans. By Thursday, I reasoned, the roads would be clear.

I was wrong.

On Wednesday night I fell asleep feeling slightly congested, if anything. By the time I dragged myself to work on Thursday, that slight congestion had exploded into what could only be a head cold. A headache, fever and general feeling of sluggishness did nothing to improve my spirits about this whole situation.

I strengthened my resolve at this point, devoting any time I wasn’t working to blowing my nose or taking medicine, curled up asleep under my nest of blankets.

Through that whole weekend, Monday seemed promising. On Monday morning I woke up full of hope… only to have that hope crushed with an onslaught of icy rain and snow.

Travel was strongly discouraged.

Then the power went out.

I was frustrated to say the least. Then, after taking time to breathe and think, I realized something. This situation was not a predicament or a disaster. It was an opportunity. I had choices. On one hand, I could lay around like a depressed lump and mope endlessly about how the entire day was nothing but a big waste. Then again, there was another option. Here was a rare opportunity, an entire afternoon free from the usual distractions provided by the internet. In other words, I had the chance to write without being tempted to check my Facebook page and email every five seconds. This was an opportunity I was glad to seize.

Here’s the best part about this experience. It helped me see, once again, that life is full of these opportunities. I don’t always make the most of them, but when I do, the result is always fulfilling. That feeling alone is powerful enough to serve as motivation, especially in tricky situations.

Motivation can be difficult to find at times, as this week has shown me. Sometimes, though, a factor that may seem at first to be an obstacle might just turn out to be the spark of inspiration needed to succeed. In those instances, all it takes is a little bit of positive thinking. That decision is yours to make.

Until next time, stay warm and stay positive. Above all else, never forget that you are awesomesauce.