Overcome Obstacles

#1. Take a Minute.

When you hit the obstacle, STOP. Take a breath or walk away to consider the options without emotions flaring up. You guard yourself against acting impulsively and decrease later regrets.

Define the emotions you’re feeling, then wait for them to calm. Knowing whether you are sad, or angry, or frustrated will help you to find that calm place faster, as you would address each emotion differently.

For example, ask yourself what you’re angry at if you are indeed angry. If you are sad, accept the sorrow as being a natural part of the disappointment of meeting something that keeps you from your goal.

As challenging as it might be, don not rush through or ignore what you are feeling. Use this setback as a chance to think out-of-the-box and embrace the emotion which caused it. Own it and feel it in your body, then move on. Don't try to work around the obstacle. Be patient. This process may take an hour, a day, or a week, depending on how important your goal was and how substantial the setback is.

#2. Accept Where You Are.

Realize obstacles happen. The more you fight them, the worse they’re going to seem. It’s the struggle that pulls you down.

To prevent more desperation, accept the situation as a natural; healthy part of the process; and, your emotions are legitimate and real. It’s where you are, right now, at this moment. Do not get stuck.

#3. Flip the Switch.

After acknowledging the emotions of the moment, choose to let them go. It’s time to switch over to the logic side of your brain. This is we store wisdom and experiences, which will help process what just happened and consider our options.

Next, take a step back and look at the obstacle as if you were a stranger standing on the outside of your life looking in. What would they see right now? Question your assumptions to find a unique solution.

#4. Get Creative.

Here’s where a little flexibility helps you examine the alternatives. Be as creative as possible. Don’t discount anything as being ‘too silly.’ Sometimes the silliest ideas helps you think completely differently.

Sure, it’s normal to be disappointed that your "planned" did not work this time. With new possibilities to consider, you can use this energy to fuel you toward the next step.

#6. Break Things Down.

Our obstacles usually start when we try to take on too much at once. In moving forward, re-examine the goal you were trying to accomplish. Can you break down your goal into smaller steps? By focusing on more supporting goals, you can reduce getting so overwhelmed by the larger goal (end state).

#7. Admit You’re Only Human.

Everyone makes mistakes. In some ways, these feel like the worst obstacles because it’s easy to get caught up in a negative thinking spiral when this happens. You might even start questioning your abilities and wind up wanting to give up on your goal altogether.

Here’s where it becomes crucial to keep things in perspective. By acknowledging you are only human after all, you’re able to admit when you are wrong and to move on. What’s more, you’ll be better able to accept when you make mistakes again in the future, because after all, you will. We all do.

#8. Reconsider the Goal.

The obstacle may be telling us something was wrong with our goal. Either it wasn’t well thought out or isn’t what you needed to do now. It might be time to consider the original premise and restart.

Sometimes the obstacle comes because you’d made a shift in what you were trying to do. Have you somehow changed your goal midstream? It might be you need to rethink your plan of attack entirely. When this happens, your obstacle has instead become an opportunity to move in a direction that suits your purposes better.

#9. Don’t Forget to Celebrate!

It might seem odd to be thinking about celebrations when talking about obstacles but consider this: When you celebrate your accomplishments, you embrace the journey you’ve been on, barriers and all.

Even if you’ve stalled out completely, you can celebrate the progress you made and the work you put into the project. These emotions are worth embracing. Once the party is over, ask yourself where you want to go from here? Be sure to choose a new goal as part of the celebration and to remain excited.

Use the 2 below items to help you turn your obstacles into opportunities.

Affirmation and Self-Reflections: I Come Back Stronger.

Embracing Obstacles: 6 Reasons You Should Embrace Life's Trials