Learn From Your Obstacles, Adapt to Realize Results

Have you ever planned a road trip and mapped the ideal route to your destination, only to find yourself sitting in traffic caused by construction or a highway accident? Despite your best intentions, obstacles come up and plans have to change. Sometimes you have to adapt your plans and choose another route to get to your destination.

This basic truth can be applied to almost any life situation, plan or goal you are pursuing. Sometimes, even the best-laid plans need to be adapted. These moments in which obstacles arise that challenge your original plans are critical. They are the moments in which your motivation is put to the test and you are forced to decide, am I going to quit? Or am I going to allow this challenge to be a moment of GROWTH and OPPORTUNITY?

“What matters most is not what our obstacles are but how we see them, how we react to them, and whether we keep our composure.”

–Ryan Holiday

As discussed in my previous post, Obstacles to Opportunities, the mindset with which you approach each challenge that arises is hugely important in determining your overall success. Individuals that embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and choose to see each obstacle within this positive framework are far more likely to persist through difficult moments and ultimately achieve their goals.

Perhaps the message of maintaining a positive, growth-centered mindset is old news to you. Maybe you’ve already learned to embrace your challenges and you’ve developed habits of positive, growth-focused thinking. Or, maybe you’re like most other high achievers and while you understand the concepts of growth-focused thinking, you are still “waiting” for the perfect time to dive in, make changes and take the steps necessary to achieve results.

Either way, you may find yourself wondering, “Great! Embrace challenges…I’m already doing that. But what do I actually DO when faced with an obstacle?”

Although reshaping our mindset is the first step towards successfully navigating obstacles, we certainly cannot stop there. Action must follow. We need to learn and adapt.

LEARN

Here are three practical tips for handling challenges that may arise when pursuing your particular goals:

1. Research - Take some time to research your problem. Regardless of your particular goal or the challenges you are facing, chances are you are not the first person to have found themselves in this situation. The internet is full of articles, blog posts, and videos of other individuals like yourself, sharing their wisdom and practical tips for overcoming specific challenges. When it comes to researching obstacles and solutions, the important thing to keep in mind is time. While it can be incredibly helpful to research new ways of approaching your specific situation, it’s very easy to get sucked into the internet trap and spend entirely too much time reading blog posts or watching YouTube tutorials. In this situation, a helpful tool has now stunted your progress. Before you sit down to begin researching, set a reasonable time limit for yourself, and stick to it! If you are questioning yourself on what a reasonable amount of time is, well, that depends on how big or complex the ‘problem’ is. Here’s a comparison: How much would you invest to know how to solve your challenge, assuming you were paying a researcher $75 hour to find options for you?
2. Reach out - Perhaps you are familiar with the phrase, “no [wo]man is an island.” This adage reflects the concept that we are truly better when working in conjunction with other people. This is definitely true when it comes to achieving your goals and working through challenges. When you find yourself facing an obstacle in the process of achieving your goals, get out of your own head and ask for help. Reach out to a trusted friend or mentor for tips or feedback. Sometimes, all that is needed to bring clarity and resolution to a particular problem is the opportunity to process your thoughts and strategies with another person.
3. Resources - Investigate and take advantage of local resources that may help you overcome your challenges and achieve your goals. For example, if your goal is to work on your personal fitness, resources such as local gyms with coaching programs or fitness tracking apps can be incredibly helpful. Likewise, if your goal is to strengthen your marriage, look into local marriage counselors or couples retreats that could provide you and your spouse the opportunity to reconnect and deepen your communication. Regardless of your particular goal, I guarantee there are resources right at your fingertips to help you on the path towards achievement. However, THOSE RESOURCES DON’T KNOW you need help, so you have to be the one who reaches out to take action.

ADAPT

Another important aspect of achievement is adapting and optimizing your working process. Have you ever felt like you were just spinning your wheels, putting in so much time and effort with very little progress or reward? Your intentions are good, your motivation is strong…but despite your best efforts, you lack results.

This typically occurs when your working process is inefficient or lacks strategic planning. Before investing more time and energy into a particular project or goal, take some time to reflect on your working process. Keep what’s been working, toss out what hasn’t and adapt where needed to optimize results through this 3-step process.

1. Build - Action without a plan is blind. You can’t possibly expect to make measurable progress towards your goals if each action step you take is random and unplanned. Think about it: You wouldn’t board a plane if the pilot were blindfolded, so why should we jump into our own goals blind to the direction we are heading or the obstacles that might come up along the way? Before you can begin working towards your goals, it’s important to create a game plan or strategy for how you intend to get there. For concrete tips for creating a well-laid action plan, check out my recent blog post How To Accomplish Your Goals: Creating A Customized Action Plan.
2. Learn - After your plan is developed and you begin taking tangible action steps, it’s important to continue collecting feedback on the effectiveness of your efforts. We are more effective when we continue to learn as we go. Feedback can come from a variety of sources: your own observation, trackable data, or insights from other people. Regardless of the source of your data, it’s important to reflect on the feedback provided and allow it to be meaningful.

Important Questions To Ask:

• Is this the right action for me to be taking?
• Do I need to tweak or drop this action?
• Would another action be more effective?
• Am I on track for reaching my goals? Why or why not?

3. Modify

Once you’ve taken some time to collect feedback and reflect on your process, it’s time to put that feedback into action! If you have found that a particular step you are taking is ineffective, change it. If there are other tools or resources that would make your work more efficient, find and implement them. Don’t be afraid to modify or change your game plan! It was meant to be a starting place and a guide, not a hard and fast rulebook that can’t be adapted.

Whether you are just beginning the goal-setting process or you’ve been working towards the same goals for a while, it is always a good time to stop and reflect on your processes and progress. If you need some accountability or support in strategic goal-setting and making the most of your time and energy, CLICK HERE to schedule an exploratory call!