What should I do when an obstacle is in my way?
You have determined your goals and planned the actions to achieve and all of a sudden something unexpected stands in your way. What do you do? Two specific actions can get you back on the path to success.
If you were partially there in meeting your goals but got stopped in your tracks, it is very easy to fall into the trap of getting down on yourself. Spending precious time and emotional energy thinking about obstacles or your inability to move forward is not productive. Stop and think about what you have accomplished. In the book, The Gap and the Gain, Dan Sullivan writes about high achievers who always strive to reach goals and often lose sight of their accomplishments which leads to unhappiness. He attributes this to how they measure progress. Because they measure forward by seeing how far they need to go, they get discouraged. He suggests that you measure backward to see what your gains have been. When you encounter an obstacle, taking pen to paper and making a list of your accomplishments (your “gains”) will be uplifting. Also, by seeing what you have completed, you will increase your confidence to move forward. As a side note, I took up the practice of a daily record of three things I accomplished on the prior day. I highly recommend this.
The next thing to do is determine what stopped you from moving forward or moving forward as quickly as you would like. It is important to think this through to figure out how to proceed. In this instance, I have a personal example. My husband and I have been planning to downsize and relocate to our “retirement” home and one of my personal goals was to make this happen. The timing for finding the new home and selling the current home was not dictated or planned by us and the logistics surrounding this are monumental leaving less time and energy for me to grow my life coaching business. In stopping to think this through, I acknowledge that logistics are directly related to my personal goal of finding a new home and are valuable steps to build our future (acknowledging the “gain”). Knowing that I have less time, I have developed detailed lists of what needs to be accomplished in both areas, including the logistics of moving and growing the business. These lists serve as prioritized action steps that will keep me on track to succeeding in both these areas. I effectively developed a path around the obstacle of less time.
When an obstacle stands in your way, first take some time to reflect on all that you have accomplished by “measuring your gains.” Next, take a hard look at the obstacle and figure out a way around it. By taking these two steps, you will move forward vigorously and reach your goals.