9 Steps to Overcoming Obstacles
Photo Credit – U.S. Navy
No matter what you are trying to accomplish, obstacles are a part of life. Whether it is a little obstacles like a slow driver, lost keys or spilled coffee or the big obstacles like a family crisis or financial challenges, learning to overcome is critical for your success.
How do you respond to obstacles? Do you get frustrated, discouraged, and blame others? Or do you find a way around, over or through the mountain standing in your way?
I will be honest, I don’t like obstacles. For years, if I was showing frustration about a situation, Victoria would ask me, “is your goal getting blocked?” I knew what that meant. My response to an obstacle was a bad attitude. I am thankful that she was willing to challenge me and make me aware of what was going on.
Frustration and a bad attitude does not result in successfully overcoming obstacles. If you want to overcome obstacles you must first address what is going on inside. Without a frank evaluation of your personal attitude you will never be able to develop a strategy or plan for overcoming the obstacles in your life. Once you have corrected your attitude you are positioned for success.
Photo Credit – Celestine Chua
9 Steps to overcoming obstacles
- Step back and take a breath – The first step is to STOP! Many times we beat our heads against an obstacle and don’t back up enough to see what the true issue is.
- Clarify where you want to go – Maybe the obstacle doesn’t matter. Think about where you really want to go. Maybe there is a totally different path to get there.
- Identify the obstacle – Many times it takes some digging to identify the true obstacle. Dig a little deeper and make sure you are solving the true issue not just a superficial annoyance.
- Develop a plan – Victory requires a strategy. Think through your experience, resources and abilities and plan how you will use them to overcome the obstacle.
- Get input from others – No good plan is created in isolation. You need the experience, wisdom, and different perspectives of others. They will help you see possibilities that you miss.
- Execute the plan – The best plan will fail without action. You will encounter fear. Don’t run from it! Be courageous and take action anyway.
- Evaluate the results – Your first plan may not succeed. That is ok. Gather information from the results. The only failure is a failure to learn.
- Improve your plan – Take what you are learning and improve your plan.
- Celebrate your victory – When you finally have success, make sure you celebrate. Everyone likes a reward, and this will help you stay motivated the next time you face an obstacle.
May you be part of the courageous few who rise up, face obstacles and overcome them and fulfill their destiny. Otherwise you will find yourself a part of the discouraged crowd blaming someone else for the obstacles in your life.
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”@brianmininger” suffix=””]Some of the greatest challenges in life steer us toward our greatest victories[/inlinetweet]
Have you ever faced an obstacle? What wisdom can you share about overcoming?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
-Brian
