Obstacles stretch our ability to manage emotions, build focus and acceptance, and create space to develop new skills. What better description of the time we are currently experiencing? These obstacles make now a perfect time to create your “next” path and the way to your future.
As we continue to move through dramatic times that current generations have not experienced, are you looking at this time as an obstacle or opportunity? It seems the pandemic continues to throw obstacles at each one of us, no matter our age or career. It affects not only our jobs, health, financial security, but also our children’s education and our family balance.
There is no doubt as much as we look for things to go back to “normal,” these are uncertain times with no roadmap for us to navigate. We are now looking at our “next normal.”
We have all faced obstacles along the way. Applying critical tenets of managing obstacles and finding strength in managing past obstacles provide a way to step through the current situation and onto a new path.
What if you look at not just managing the current obstacles but stepping through them to find a better outcome on the other side?
Those who don’t fear obstacles know that obstacles often lead to opportunity. Learning how to step through an obstacle provides the opportunity for change. There is power in recognizing that change leads to growth.
“Embracing each experience, even those that seem out of our control, allow you to move beyond it.”
10 Keys to Stepping through Obstacles
1. Ask yourself what you can control
Through this time, we are all experiencing a loss of control. The best way to gain control is to focus ONLY on what YOU CAN control. Let go of things out of your control. Focusing on something that may not be happening is a waste of time, resources, and energy. Put your attention on only those things you can control.
2. Maintain an Accurate Perception
An accurate assessment of the situation and the ability to see the possibilities through the obstacle is critical. Do not allow your thoughts to be clouded by fear. Your perception can be a strength or a weakness. Use it as a strength by taking this time as an opportunity to build emotional resistance. Calm, objective, solution-focused thoughts lead to success.
3. Manage stress
Do you feel different? Has your stress level changed? We can look at stress as a detriment or a way to grow. Stressing the muscles in our bodies allows them to grow. What if we looked at stress, not as a negative but as a way to grow?
It’s important to remember that only through recovery does the stress of a muscle allow it to grow. The same is true for all stress. Make the time to rest and recover. When we manage stress through recovery, it opens a new way of achieving what looks impossible.
4. Do something fulfilling
Did your goals for the year disappear, and all you see are the ongoing obstacles? Change focus to something you’ve wanted to try or learn. Why not look away from the usual since nothing is as usual and experiment with something new.
5. Decide who you want to be
Read that one again. Who is it you want to be? Are you that person right now? Knowing who you are, your strengths, and your values is a powerful weapon against adversity.
Think about tough or unpredictable times in the past and how you moved through them. We become more confident in trying situations when we know what we are capable of through the use of our strengths.
6. Have a purpose in all you do
Having and knowing your purpose provides your foundation. Purpose is crucial to overcoming difficulties. Each decision you make should be made with your purpose in mind. Purpose creates personal strength. When you know and live your purpose, obstacles are much easier to manage. Make decisions in alignment with your purpose, and you have the action plan for how to step through any obstacle that comes your way.
“View obstacles as learning opportunities that bring greater levels of success.”
7. Learn
Learning is power. If you want to overcome something, spend time learning. Sometimes knowledge comes in the form of tough life lessons. These lessons are incredibly valuable. Those that aren’t willing to learn through failure aren’t learning or growing. Put yourself out there. Make it a priority to learn in all circumstances. Those learning experiences make a fantastic resource for stepping through obstacles.
8. Help someone else
Helping others adds perspective, is satisfying, and is simply the right thing to do. Right now, the amount of isolation and uncertainty we have experienced has been incredibly difficult for many. We are all in this together, and nobody wants to fight alone. Reach out, be a role model, be present in a time of need.
9. Be Grateful
When things are difficult, be grateful. Acknowledging gratitude creates the ability to be positive through difficult times. Maintaining positivity is essential through obstacles. Gratitude allows you to see the importance of things in life.
Do you feel like you have nothing to be thankful for during this time? Take a moment each night to pay attention to the good around you. Write down three things you are grateful for along with why or how. Even on our toughest days, there is always something to find gratitude in that allows us to look past ourselves.
10. Perseverance
The last and potentially most essential key to stepping through obstacles is never to give up. Don’t succumb to your circumstances. Now is the time to look through them. Some obstacles require time and patience, while others require grit and determination. Perseverance is the way to success through any obstacle. Perseverance isn’t easy, but it’s what distinguishes the empowered from the rest.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
~Viktor Frankl
While you may not think of it this way, any obstacle could be your next path to success. There is tremendous power in accepting the current situation and working to step through it. Now is the time to grow your capacity to deal with obstacles. Using these key lessons not only helps you through a time of pandemic and uncertainty but serves as a blueprint for obstacles in the future.
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