The Importance of Overcoming Obstacles
Do you ever feel like you just suck at life?
Maybe one thing after another seems to go wrong.
You lose your job. Your partner breaks up with you. A new venture fails.
It probably feels like you’re the only one to experience so many setbacks, but that’s just not true. Everyone faces obstacles, but only a small percentage of people figure out how to overcome them in a smart way.
Your uber successful business owner friend? She’s probably experienced way more failure and rejection than you.
That coworker with the perfect marriage? For all you know, she spent ten years in an abusive relationship.
Why is it that some people seem able to bounce back from failure so easily?
It’s all about building resilience, taking consistent steps to improve yourself, and seeking the right kind of help from others.
Want more detail?
Great!
We’re about to share five key tips on overcoming difficulties in life, so keep reading.
1. Practicing Acceptance Makes Obstacles Easier to Deal with
Remember the last time you were frustrated by something? Perhaps you were waiting in a line at the store, and feeling irritated by the slow cashier.
What was causing you pain?
Was it standing in the line, or was it your reaction to standing in the line?
That’s right. When we’re unable to accept our current circumstances we feel irritated and unhappy.
Practicing acceptance is one of the most effective ways to overcome any obstacle you’re facing. Instead of adding to your pain by wishing things were different, try some of the following strategies:
- Practice letting go of issues beyond your control by writing them down and burning the paper or visualizing them leaving your life.
- Listen to meditation CDs on the topic of acceptance.
- Focus on the things you can change about your situation, not the things you can’t.
Next time you feel overwhelmed by an obstacle, try saying something like, “I’m feeling X, and that’s okay,” or, “I accept the fact that Y happened, and I’m ready to let it go.”
With a little dedication, this practice will soon become second nature, and obstacles won’t feel nearly as big.
2. Not Being Put off by Failure Helps You Learn and Grow
Did you know that inventor Thomas Edison generated 10,000 prototypes for electric light bulbs before getting it right?
The difference between him and other inventors? He didn’t give up.
Letting one failure stop you from trying again is a guaranteed route to not achieving your goals.
You need to start seeing failure as an essential stepping stone on the path to success, and not a negative reflection on you.
To stop being so affected by failure, try the following strategies:
- Aim for a certain number of failures and rejections per year – this means you have to keep putting yourself out there, even when you don’t want to.
- View failure constructively, and make a note of what the experience has taught you.
- Talk to someone else about the failure to help you make sense of what went wrong and how you feel about it.
- Take a small step towards trying again, like starting a job application or writing a new pitch.
Failing doesn’t make you a failure – always remember that.
3. Good Self-Care Helps You Overcome Issues Faster
Have you ever had a failure at work, and immediately thrown yourself into several new projects?
You probably ended up feeling burned out, tired, and hopeless.
Good self-care is absolutely essential when overcoming difficulties in life, no matter how big or small.
It’s like when you’re sick. If you rest, you get better faster. If you keep pushing yourself too hard, you get even sicker.
Self-care doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, as you’ll see from the ideas below:
- Take a walk in nature.
- Call a good friend for a chat.
- Cook a delicious, healthy meal for yourself.
- Do some yoga.
- Buy yourself a small treat.
- Practice meditation.
- List your positive qualities.
- Take a bubble bath.
- Do the compassion exercise.
- Stroke a pet.
- Write in a journal.
The next time you find yourself struggling with overcoming difficulties in life, stop and take a breath.
Write down at least five ways you can care for yourself during this difficult time, and display the list somewhere prominent. Every time you feel overwhelmed, pick an activity and do it.
You are not your own enemy, so make sure you commit to good self-care at all times.
4. Seeking the Right Mentor Can Jumpstart Your Personal Development
When you’re trying to overcome a problem, talking to someone who’s been there can be a huge help.
You can see examples of this everywhere. Business owners seek help from professional mentors if something goes wrong. Alcoholics get guidance from other recovering addicts at AA meetings.
When looking for a mentor, there are a few questions you should consider:
- What do I want to get out of the mentoring relationship?
- Who do I admire and look up to in my life?
- How often do I want to meet with my mentor?
- What will my mentor get out of the relationship?
- How long do I want the mentoring relationship to last?
Try to choose someone you already have a relationship with, as your existing chemistry will help the mentoring partnership to run smoothly. Choose someone who’s achieved what you want to achieve, or overcome similar issues to you.
5. Setting Clear Goals Helps You Move Forward
You can’t get what you want until you know exactly what that is.
We don’t mean something vague, like, “To be happy.” Goals like that are tricky to measure, impossible to break into actionable steps, and easy to give up on.
Instead, start setting SMART goals.
These are goals which are:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
So, instead of saying, “I want to be successful in business,” set a SMART goal like, “I want to use marketing to increase profits by $5000 by the end of this quarter.”
This kind of goal is easily broken into small chunks, making it much easier to achieve.
The Secret to Overcoming Difficulties in Life
We all face difficulties in life.
The key to overcoming them is to practice acceptance, learn to deal with failure, practice good self-care, ask others for help, and set the right kind of goals.
Don’t let life knock you down. Follow this strategy for overcoming difficulties in life instead and things will soon look brighter.