When obstacles keep getting in the way of achieving goals? Try this.

It's day one of our new regime, program or challenge and we feel excited, pumped and confident. We have high hopes for accomplishing our desired goal and see no reason for failing or falling short. But by day seven those feelings have started to dissipate as we face challenges and obstacles and day ten we’ve quit again and feel like a failure. Does this sound familiar? Enthusiastic out of the starting blocks but halted at the first hurdle? It happens to us all and it's frustrating and disheartening.

But we must not forget to give ourselves credit for starting, genuinely, getting started can often be the hardest part of achieving any goal. Anyone who has ever tried to grow and achieve their potential will tell you it’s difficult, hard and that obstacles appear that aim to discourage us and hamper our progress.

If obstacles are getting in the way of achieving your goals, this article was written for you. Whether it's a happier marriage, a healthier body or greater mastery of a talent, the following ideas can help us as we attempt to move forward.

Understanding Obstacles

Let's begin with understanding obstacles. Typically they fall into two broad categories; internal or external. External obstacles include things like people, environment and social expectations, whereas internal obstacles include such things as our mindset, emotions and self-talk. It is helpful to understand the source of the obstacle because our approach to overcoming it is dependent on it.

There will always be obstacles that try to get in the way and prevent us from achieving our goals. Work, family, friends, children, hobbies, health and money are just some of those things.

Identify the Obstacle

What is getting in our way? If we don't know, we can't possibly find a solution to remedy the problem. So the imperative first step we must take is to perform an honest assessment and list all the obstacles that are preventing our progress. Take out a sheet of paper and start brainstorming, or use the Obstacle Worksheet I created (attached below.) Remember that often times, the greatest obstacle is ourselves, generally what holds us back the most comes from within, not without.

Finding Solutions

Every obstacle or challenge has a solution.The solution might not always be immediately obvious or easy, but there is nevertheless a solution. It's good to identify the obstacles in our way but it is detrimental to our progress to use them as justification to quit or excuse ourselves. The sole purpose of identifying problems is to then find a solution. Becoming a problem solver is an essential skill one must develop along the path toward progress.

After compiling a list of obstacles, the next step is to brainstorm all possible solutions. It can be helpful to seek the thoughts and insights of people who are familiar with your life and situation.

We’ve got this

We all deserve, as much as anyone else, to live a fulfilling life and reach our potential. And we’ve got this. Even if we’ve tried, failed and given up, today can be day one of our new goal, regime or challenge. Obstacles will come, they come to everyone, but every obstacle and challenge we encounter has a solution. We just need to find it!

Obstacle Worksheet

Download my obstacle worksheet using the link below.

The obstacle worksheet is available to paid subscribers. You can access this and all other paid subscriber content for only $5/month.