How To Overcome Your Obstacles & Barriers

Obstacles —We have all experienced something that gets in the way of achieving our goals. What separates achievers and dreamers is that you need to use your skills to overcome any barriers that gets in your way. This is key in realizing and achieving your goals and creating a brighter future and a well-rounded you.

There are two different types of obstacles: mental ones and tangible ones.

Mental obstacles:

Beliefs about yourself and your abilities
Generally influenced by past experiences
Many form the emotion of fear

Tangible obstacles:

Feel like facts
Outside of oneself
Example: “I do not have enough money saved to buy that house”

To get past your obstacles you need to first realize what they all are. That is where brainstorming, particularly the brain dump method, comes in. Many thoughts are in the back of our minds and we do not bring them forward to acknowledge them, they can also seem more overwhelming than they may be if you don’t organize your thoughts and put them down on paper to help clear out your mind.

Take a piece of paper or an open note on your phone and write down all the reasons, and feelings that you feel are stopping you from achieving your goals. This could be anything from “I am not good enough.” to “I do not have child care options”. Do not think about it too much, just let the answers and thoughts come free form onto your paper. Then once you feel as though you listed down all your obstacles, sort them into mental and tangible.

Focus on the tangible first because usually there are less of them and by solving these obstacles it can radiate change into your mental ones. Apply these 5 steps to each tangible obstacle.

Check Your Assumptions – is your obstacle truly an obstacle or are you assuming it is? Do you really need more education for that better paying job? Do you really not have enough money, even if you reworked your budget and looked at your spending habits? Challenge your own assumptions and ideas and see if they hold up under the microscope.
Manage Your Resources – some of your greatest resources are time and effort. Many times, we feel as though we do not have the time to give ourselves, to apply to our goals. However, typically if there is an emergency, we can find the time to handle it, we should view our goals and dreams in the same way. Find the time, or energy, or effort and apply it to a better future for you.
Brainstorm – brainstorm again but this time, think about solutions to overcome each obstacle, no idea is too wild in the beginning. When you are done, then go through and really figure out what the best solution is for you.
Consider possible alternatives – thinking you can only get to your end goal taking one specific path can hinder you, but if you look at the bigger picture and try to find another path, this can open so many more possibilities to achieve success.
Ask someone – get a new perspective, by speaking to someone who has different lived experiences or networks or whose brain just works differently, you can get new ideas that you maybe never would have thought of.

There will always be obstacles, how you handle them will be what separates you from your goals.

If you have a health and wellness vision for yourself, but have trouble getting over barriers, at Integral Wellness we offer complimentary goal setting assessments to show you the way.

https://www.integral-wellness.ca/fitness/wellness-assessment/

Book you appointment with our team and take advantage of all the FREE resources we offer to promote better health in the community.