Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Goals
After working with thousands of teachers to grow their impact beyond the classroom, I’ve realized one trait that the most successful people have in common: they don’t give up. They are committed to overcoming obstacles to achieve goals.
Whenever you try something new— whether it be landing flexible work in education or starting your own business — there will always be new things to learn. Instead of resisting what you don’t know, start by embracing it.
As teachers, we know that the learning process often involves failure. Kids try to read words and have trouble decoding them. But they keep trying, and eventually, they can read the words on their own. Or imagine a baby learning to walk. How many times do they have to try and fail before they finally walk successfully? The same is true when we try new things. There are going to be obstacles. We can’t control that, but we can control how we approach overcoming obstacles to achieve our goals.
Sometimes I see people treating obstacles as signs that things won’t work out. If they don’t get a job that they were really hoping to land, they feel like they won’t ever get a job outside of the classroom. But this is 100% not true.
Just because you face obstacles does not mean you shouldn’t go after your dreams. Instead, realize that there is always a way to overcome obstacles in life and get you closer to what you want. The most important part is to not give up. Use these tips to help:
4 Tips to Overcoming Obstacles to Achieve Goals
Stay Focused on Your Goal
When disappointments get you down, stay focused on the big picture. This is key to overcoming obstacles and achieving your goals. What are you trying to achieve? How are you going to achieve it? Reframe obstacles as just bumps in the road. Allow yourself to be frustrated by them, then move on.
Think about what you can learn from the obstacles you encounter, too. Could these obstacles be learning opportunities? Remind yourself that you can always figure out how to overcome obstacles at work or in life. Get creative and persistent as you figure out your best way forward. My favorite tip? Imagine yourself past the obstacles, reflecting back on how far you’ve come. Then use this vision of the future to help push you forward as you work on overcoming obstacles.
Celebrate Effort, Not Performance
Did you dust yourself off after a disappointment? Time to celebrate! Or did you apply for a job that you felt both excited and scared about? Giant high fives to you! Whether these opportunities work out or not, celebrate your efforts. Having a growth mindset is key when it comes to overcoming obstacles to achieve goals.
Instead of only celebrating when you get a job or land a client, celebrate all the risks you take along the way to achieving your goals. This risk taking and stepping outside of your comfort zone is the very skill that will make your dreams a reality.
Be Adaptable When Overcoming Obstacles
Our ability to deal with the inevitable curveballs that life throws is a skill that we can grow. I recently read about the idea of an adaptability quotient (AQ), which assesses someone’s ability to adapt.
Just like EQ assesses our emotional intelligence, AQ measures our ability to adapt by looking at abilities such as problem-solving, a desire to continuously improve, curiosity, learning from failures, etc.
The most important thing to remember about AQ is that you can develop these skills by consciously trying to get better at them. Want to be more adaptable? Practice learning from failures. It might not be comfortable, but you’ll learn so much through the process. And adaptability will go a long way toward helping you overcome obstacles in life.
Call in Help
When obstacles get in your way, it can be easier to see the big picture through another person’s eyes. Talk about your roadblocks with a friend and reach out for help when needed. Likely, many people have experienced similar setbacks and are willing to share what they’ve learned from the experience.
Calling in help is key to overcoming obstacles to achieve goals. If nothing else, it can be helpful to realize you’re not alone in facing these challenges.
Take Overcoming Obstacles To The Next Level
If you’re wanting to take the leap and move beyond the classroom, enrollment in our Beyond the Classroom course includes invaluable access to our community of educators who have been in similar spots.
Or if you’re ready to grow an education business, but need the accountability and support to make sure you’re successful, the next round of our Grow Your Education Business Accelerator will start in May.
When roadblocks get in your way, remind yourself that they’re not the end. They are an opportunity for you to learn new skills, adapt, and get closer to your goal. Just keep making the best next step and moving forward.