Tips for Overcoming Obstacles

Do you need some help overcoming obstacles in your path? Here are four tips that can help.

• Clearly Identify the Obstacle

Your strategy for overcoming obstacles will depend on whether the obstacle is external or internal. External obstacles are ones you can’t control. To get around or through external obstacles, you may need to find a different path, or wait for conditions to change. For example, if your goal is to sail around the world, you can’t control the weather. You can, however, learn everything you can about handling a boat in bad weather, and cultivate the patience to wait for the weather to be favorable to start your adventure. 

On the other hand, internal obstacles are the ones you can control. Internal obstacles might include negative thinking or a gap in skills. To overcome these challenges, you must put in the work to change your internal state. If you don’t know how, try talking it over with a trusted friend, mentor or life coach. 

• Divide Big Goals into Doable Chunks

A big goal can be daunting, but even the grandest plan can be broken down into doable units. The first step is to assign a deadline for your goal. From there, break your goal down into three to five sub-goals. What steps do you need to take to achieve each sub-goal? Map it out into daily, weekly, and monthly steps. 

• Be Creative

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. When you are confronted by an obstacle and you can’t see a way around it, it’s time to get creative. Try to think of as many ways to solve your problem as possible. You may come up with some crazy ideas, but one of them just might work.

• Ask for Help

Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the hardest. Many people are hesitant to ask for help. However, asking for and accepting help from others is one of the best and bravest things you can do. Depending on your challenge, there are many places you can seek help and advice. For example: 

• For job and career obstacles, speak with your boss, your HR department, your mentor, a trusted colleague, your union rep, or an industry association. Community groups such as the YMCA or the United Way also often offer career planning and counseling services.
• For problems in your personal life or relationships, consider talking to a coach. Friends are wonderful, but sometimes it takes an objective observer to help you recognize negative patterns in your life and develop the tools to deal with them.