Challenges happen. We all face obstacles in life; some are big, and some are small. The great news is whether big or small, you can use the same steps to overcome these obstacles.
Some days it could be something small like stubbing your toe on the door that can send your whole world spiraling down. Or maybe your toddler hits you, and you take it so personally that everything seems to fall apart. Other days the obstacles are much more significant and more real like a vengeful coworker, you bomb a meeting at work, or your partner loses their job. Obstacles are inevitable, but thankfully they don’t have to stop you. Deepak Chopra says that “obstacles are opportunities in disguise”. Here are a few tips on overcoming those obstacles and using them as opportunities for your life.
Accept and Control Your Emotions
When we face an obstacle, we feel a lot of emotions. We can be frustrated, and we can be angry. We may feel downtrodden. Usually, we don’t get excited. Typically, it’s not a positive emotion. Typically, it’s a negative emotion that we experience, and that’s okay. That negative emotion is real. It is a part of what’s going on in your life, so I encourage you to accept it. What’s important is to make sure that that emotion doesn’t control your next steps. Accept this emotion and know that it’s natural for you to feel this way and then control it. Don’t let that emotion determine your next steps. If you need to pause for a moment or a day, do it. If you need to reach out to a friend for guidance, do it. Bring someone in to help counsel you or someone to bounce ideas off of so that you’re not letting your emotions control your next steps.
Accept that Life Comes with Challenges
Challenges are an inevitable part of life. Don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s not about you. Obstacles are a part of the way the world is set-up. It’s the way our lives are set-up. There are going to be challenges in your life. Know that they’re going to come and that you need to work through them, and that’s okay.
Ditch The Drama
The challenges are going to be there. Why add to it with unnecessary drama? You’re busy, mama, you don’t need drama. So release what you’re holding on to. Don’t excite things more than they need to be, and don’t allow others around you to fan the flame either. Drama only makes situations more complicated and creates distractions. You need focus.
Reframe Your Negative Thoughts
When we hit challenges, it’s easy to think negative things about ourselves and apply negative meaning to the obstacle. You might think, “Oh well, this wasn’t meant for me anyway,” or, “I’m never going to achieve this.” Reframe these negative thoughts rather than thinking with defeat. Positive thoughts such as, “What am I learning through this? How do I figure this out? What do I need to do next?”, will change your perspective, mood, and even outcome. Pro tip: say these positive thoughts out loud. Say the questions and the answers aloud. Feeling and hearing yourself speak positivity is powerful.
Focus on What You Can Control
There are challenges all around us, there are issues all around us, and there’s a lot that we can’t control. Spending your time and energy on the things you can’t control is a total waste. It is a frustrating waste of time and energy, and you don’t have time and energy in your life for waste. I don’t have time. You don’t have time. We are busy mamas. We have a lot of stuff to do! So let it go. If you can’t control it, then accept that and look at what you can control. Spend your energy on the things that you can control.
Don’t Give Up
Challenges are going to show up; you just have to get through them. Be persistent, be tenacious; keep going. Whatever it takes for you not to give up. Make that happen. Believe in yourself. Know that you deserve success. Know that you can have it and find people to support you—someone who’s going to help cheer and push you through the obstacle. Get a coach to help mentor you and push you to do what might be a little bit hard. Or where you might have self-doubt. Get a coach to help fill that self-doubt until you can turn it around into full belief in yourself.
Ask for Help
This isn’t referring just to support. It’s asking for help and overcoming the specific obstacle that you’re facing. Make a list of all the things you think you can do or need to overcome the obstacle. Then make a list next to it of how you can get the help you need. Who could help you? What service could you employ? How do you get the help you need to go through the obstacle?
Look for the Lesson
There is a lesson in every challenge, and it might not be a lesson that you want to learn, but once you learn it, you’re going to grow, and you’re going to be a better person. So take some time to look for the lesson in every challenge, in every obstacle. What are you learning from it? Then once you recognize the lesson, make sure that you apply that lesson.
Look For The Opportunity
What is the opportunity in this obstacle? Sometimes it’s hidden, but it’s always there. It could come through asking for help. Maybe if this obstacle hadn’t occurred, you would not have reached out to someone for help. A person that is now your teammate for life right there to help support you in everything else you need to do. There will be an opportunity in every obstacle that you face. You just have to see it.
Take Action
You have the steps to get through your obstacles. Just remember you are going to face them, but you can be prepared when they come your way. Begin to plan your action plan today. Being proactive will set you up for success to lead you towards living a life you love.
For more tips on overcoming obstacles with confidence check out, 5 Unexpected Ways to Boost Your Confidence.
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