You have probably heard the expression, “When God closes a door, He opens a window.” But is that true?

Please don't get me wrong... I understand the notion of remaining positive and hopeful in the face of missed opportunities. But that cute little adage may be a bit misleading, and, perhaps, even confining.

We Have All Faced Locked Doors (and Windows)

All of us have experienced disappointment and missed expectations, both personally and professionally...

• losing a sale or a long-standing customer
• a lack of funding for an initiative or project
• a lost job, or a job offer that never came
• a rift in a relationship that seems irredeemable
• a personal loss that hurts to the core

Sometimes there is no good "answer" to these kinds of situations.

Sometimes we are blocked at every turn.

Sometimes when the door is shut, the windows are locked, too.

We Can Break Through or Break Out

Rather than passively waiting for a window to open, maybe it's time to break the window or find the key to the lock on the door.

Or break the door down.

Or even crash through the wall.

Maybe that sounds kind of radical. The point is that passivity can often be paralyzing, yet opportunities abound if we take the time to think and ponder other possibilities. And often those possibilities spur us onto a new and productive course of action.

"Take some initiative and snap outside of passivity; consistent small actions have impact." - Darren Rowse

Look for Opportunities for Action

When we face an obstacle or an unmet expectation, we can look for opportunities to chart a new course, to experience a breakthrough.

Check the door. Try the window. Press on the wall. No dice.

Yet, something is beyond the barrier. When we realize that opportunity is on the other side, and are willing to set passivity aside, we can break out of our confinement and break through to the opportunity.

One other thought about passivity... some people confuse patience with passivity.

Passivity is a lack of initiative, or merely hoping that things will turn out alright. Patience, however, is taking time to pause and reflect, but then moving forward with a new course of action based on a new mindset, and understanding that sometimes there is a delay between action and results.

In other words, we can be both patient and tenacious at the same time.

Being tenacious is simply holding fast, being persistent (even to the point of stubbornness), and remaining tough in tough times. It's also about being cohesive and standing firm. Patience enables us to be tenacious, and tenacity can spur us toward the action we need to take.

Reaching the Other Side

Remember, at first, a barrier may seem unbreachable. And perhaps it is. But, rarely do we face a barrier with a single solution. And sometimes there may be multiple barriers, and we need to find one that can be breached. The door and window may be locked, but the wall can be broken through.

With patience and tenacity, we can break through many of the barriers, challenges, and obstacles we face. The process may involve seeking the wisdom of others based on their experiences to help us...

• overcome whatever may be holding us back
• work through the grief or disappointment that burdens us so
• see the solutions we are currently unable to see
• experience the progress we didn't think was possible

And once you get to the other side, depending on the type of barrier you overcame, you will hopefully experience a sense of relief, acceptance, accomplishment, or redirection.

And be better equipped the next time a similar challenge arises.

"If you're sufficiently tenacious and interested, you can accomplish what you want to accomplish in this world." - Alice Neel