Let’s look at some of the top obstacles that people have while trying to accomplish their goals. Lack of motivation/procrastination Lack of community Comfortable living/doesn’t hurt enough to change Not sure how to start goal The resources are not available Time Ability or lack of training Fear and hidden fear The point is, we all face obstacles to achieving our goals. In our 30 day Challenger, we have a page asking you to identify your personal obstacles. It was difficult for me to identify the obstacle at first and I now think it was a self preservation thing. I didn’t want to admit to myself that the obstacles in my life have always been me. No matter where you are in life, no matter how busy, stressed, peer pressured, untrained you are, your goal will only be accomplished if you plan ahead for these obstacles. Are you too busy? Take the time to look at each hour of your day and see if there is any fluff. Are you stressed? Take some time to do some meditation, even if it’s 5 minutes. Are you feeling peer pressure? Really evaluate whether these relationships are helping you towards your future. Are you untrained? Use the internet to find classes or programs to teach you or rent books from the library on the subject (my personal favorite, especially as my local library has digital and audio book online rental, no need to leave the house!). Fear and hidden fear are sometimes harder to identify as an obstacle. And if it’s not identified as an obstacle then you are unable to create a plan to defeat it. Ask yourself these questions: Do I feel like I am unworthy of accomplishing this goal? Do I spend time thinking that other people can accomplish this because they are smarter, brighter, more resources, more friends? Do I give up easily when the goal starts to become challenging? If ‘yes’ is your answer to these, then fear is at work within you. Fear is a universal emotion. We have fear as a biological response to keep us alive. But we no longer live in the wild and fear doesn’t know what to do with itself. So, it shows up in emotional and social settings. For some, it shows up because of trauma experience. For others, it was an idea, typically from another person. This obstacle may be harder to overcome. The biggest way to overcome this obstacle? Changing your mindset into a positive outlook. This may sound and seem ridiculous and impossible. But changing your mindset to consistently thinking “I can accomplish this goal, this is hard, but I will accomplish it” will overcome both fear and hidden fear’s powers. The other powerful tool for obstacles is planning. We all know our personal distractions. We also know how to overcome them. Writing down our obstacles and creating a plan how overcoming creates a shift in your thinking. Another way to tackle an obstacle is to envision the outcome. When we are aiming towards our goals and we start to get in the rut, our minds may get stuck in that rut. We start thinking about the negatives of the situation. We allow these thoughts and images to take hold. Envision yourself at the end of the goal. What does it look like to have accomplished this? What does it feel like? What does it smell like? What does it sound like? What does it taste like? Using all five of your senses, visualize this future ideal self can propel you towards that. The mind is a powerful organ. But ultimately, we control it. Until the next time, Heather