“By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination”. –Captain Colombo
Looking to make a positive change in your life? To improve your health, better your attitude or mindset, advance your social skills? All desired changes have accompanying obstacles; external difficulties and almost certainly internal ones as well. They can inhibit you from your goals or the lessons you must learn to arrive at your end result.
Let us review some of the common obstacles and how to tackle them.
Uncertainty About the Process
You know you want to make this change in your life but are unsure of the course of action to take. All you need to do is look around, and you will observe many people who have found practical solutions to overcome the obstacles, and successfully made the desired changes. The so called “bright spots”. Talk to these people who have made the change you want to make (e.g. improved health, better approach to life, lost weight, etc.). Get clarity on how to overcome those same obstacles. Familiarize yourself with the pitfalls and paths that others have discovered. If you do not have anyone to speak to in person, nowadays help is just a click away. Go online, find blogs and books on subjects that inspire you. There is a plethora of information waiting to be consumed. All you need is the desire to make the change and you can do it but more than anything, become clearer on the process to your goal.
Your Binding Environment
So finally, after a lot of self-reflection, you have decided to make the much-needed change in your life. So, what is holding you back? Your environment, the people around you? Maybe you are trying to eat healthy but people around you are eating unaligned to their goals every day. You want to work out at the gym, but your friends want you to accompany them to happy hour. What do you do? Change your environment to one that supports you and your goals. Restrict time and communication with the ones who deter you from your journey. Find people with similar goals, even if you connect with them online or make new friends.
The process is simple; it’s not easy and it is also not complicated. Once you build strong momentum, you will see results. Do not get bogged down by people who are out to put you down to satisfy their insecurities or allow them to pull you back in like “Crabs in the Bucket”. Soon those same people will be inspired by your escape and results! Sometimes you just need to be at the front and pull the team with you.
Lack of Patience
It is said that patience is a virtue or that good things come to those who wait. So, what if something doesn’t go quite to plan? The sky would not fall if you lost 5 pounds instead of your desired 10 pounds. You have to remain persistent, and not let it affect the process of change. Build on the ability to tolerate waiting, and delays, and remaining calm when facing difficulties and obstacles. Be inspired from other times in your life where you learned to walk, bicycle or even skate. You fell, but then you got right up again. Why can’t you do that now? You can, and you will. But only by keeping a positive approach.
Nobody ever said it would be easy, but you can either let the negativity, doubts and obstacles creep in and overcome you, or you can choose to stay strong and firm.
Imagine yourself at the bottom of a mountain looking up, and you wonder to yourself, ‘I have to do all that?’ That negative talk will make the climb harder. Your perspective will decide your future. You can either take it like a boulder on your shoulder and try climbing the mountain with that burden, or you can put that boulder down, step on it and use it as a leverage to get up.
It is always your choice and you will make a wise one.
Learn to overcome the obstacles that are always going to be there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXuuklS4BPg