How to Overcome Your Biggest Obstacles

Obstacles are a part of life.

No matter who you are or what goal you are trying to achieve, there are going to be things that pop up to try to get in our way. Often times the key to success is not about the obstacle itself, but what you do when you are faced with one.

Keep reading to find out some tips on how to overcome your biggest obstacles.

How to Overcome Your Biggest Obstacles

Be prepared for your obstacles

Alexander Graham Bell said, “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” So many of us make plans and set goals in a vacuum. We set goals for ourself and tell ourselves we are going to wake up everyday at 5 am to work out, prepare and batch highly nutritious meals every Sunday for an hour, read 5 books in one month, crush it at work and be the perfect spouse and parent to our kids.

What these goals don’t take into consideration is that life isn’t perfect. Life isn’t one straight, simple path forward. Things happen. Sickness happens. Something comes up at work. Your kid acts out. Any number of things can pop up and throw you off course.

Though there’s no way you can predict all the obstacles that will come in your way, it’s helpful to be prepared. Take a good, hard look at yourself. Take a look at your past. You know yourself. You know the typical obstacles that tend to get in your way.

Instead of letting those obstacles throw you off your path forward, prepare for them and have a plan for what to do when they come up. Along these same lines, it’s also helpful to …

Be realistic

So many take an all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to achieving their goals or living their life. Your work schedule changes, so that means you can’t get to the gym in the early mornings, and if you can’t get there then, then you might as well not workout at all. That sort of thinking gives into your obstacles and lets them disrupt your vision.

Instead, be realistic. Know that things are going to happen and that’s okay. If your work schedule messes with your plan to get the gym in the early morning, maybe switch it up a little bit. Maybe try a virtual morning class even if it’s not the entire class. It’s helpful to take a little bit of class vs doing nothing at all.

Break your obstacles down

Another way to overcome your biggest obstacles is to break them down. Things can feel so overwhelming when you see them laid out in front of you, but if you break it down they become more manageable, more doable.

If you are dealing with a new baby at home and trying to workout, it may feel nearly impossible to find the time to get back to working out. Start small. Make a plan to take a class three times a week to start. If even that feels like too much, start with 1 or 2. The more you break it down and become comfortable with your progress, the more you can gradually progress.

Keep track of your progress

This goes along with the previous point, but it’s helpful to keep track of your progress. Humans have a natural tendency to focus on the negative. It helped us back when we were running from wild animals, but today it can sometimes hinder your progress. Instead focus on the positives and the good. Break those obstacles down into smaller, realistic goals and set alarms and notifications in your phone or calendar to check in to see how you are doing.

A journal can be a great way to keep track of your progress as well as giving yourself little rewards to look forward to when you reach them.

Check in with your mindset

It all comes down to mindset. We mentioned being realistic, but it’s always helpful to acknowledge the obstacles that are popping up in your way and identifying them and identifying your feelings towards them. Instead of saying to yourself, “I’m frustrated,” add the word, “I’m feeling frustrated.” This way you won’t be fully identified with your feeling. Instead, it’s something that is separate from you. It’s something that you can change.

Look at your obstacles and remind yourself that they are something to be solved, not something to define you. Remind yourself that problems are made to be solved and there’s a reason we learned how to problem solve at school… it makes us smarter and stronger.

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