Learning how to overcome obstacles is the starting point of success. Literally, these obstacles either make you stop or they’ll turn you into an unstoppable force to reckon with.
Courage is the standing army of the soul which keeps it from conquest, pillage, and slavery.
Henry Van Dyke
Earlier, in my post Attack your Problems, I wrote how and why you should take responsibility for your actions and the choices you make.
I also nudged you to intentionally “decide” that you’d get out of the mess, solve your problems head on, accept where you are, own your choices (write them down), change the direction you are headed to (and make course corrections, if needed).
The blame game is out.
There’s no room for “It’s not my job”, “it’s not my fault”, and the endless line of excuses.
In the end, it’s all on you: The things you choose, and the things you don’t. Whatever you do, there’s an “opportunity cost” attached to it.
I emphasized that problems are solved by actions.
Start with Self-awareness
I am a life coach in Nashville, Tennessee. A huge chunk of my work begins when you start thinking for yourself — about who you are, where you are, and why you are wherever you are in your life. The journey begins with a deep introspection of your life goals (not just the daily to-do list, which often falls out of my purview).
When I first wrote about introspection and finding the purpose of your life, this is what I wrote:
Introspection is very important to understand what is our aim in life. The more you dig deeper into yourself, the more you learn what you want to do in life. Find things that make you truly happy and you always look forward to. These are the things that will help us know and complete our life’s purpose.
I understand that this simple exercise is harder than what most people expect it to be.
Try it. You’d know.
Not easy. Of course, I can help. Get in touch, and we’ll ride together.
Now that you know what you want, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Obstacles, and how to overcome them:
You’ll need three basic ingredients to thrive in life and to overcome obstacles:
Overcoming Obstacles With Discipline & Dedication
I’ll unwaveringly tell you that obstacles will be a constant. You’ll then need discipline and dedication for:
● Entrepreneurial success
● Marriage and relationships
● Building wealth or achieving financial freedom
● Healthy lifestyle
Take any of these critical needs most people want. Think about those for a second: not one of those is achievable without a substantial investment of effort and the ability to push through pain.
Building wealth, for instance, requires you to not only “work” but also pay the price of “staying invested” through market cycles (ups, downs, sideways?). The simple act of keeping yourself in shape demands, daily commitment to walks, jogs, the gym, good sleep, hydration, a balanced diet, and so much more.
Heck, marriages and relationships take tons of work too.
See where I am going with this?
Overcoming obstacles requires:
● Leap(s) of faith (sometimes, more than one leap)
● Varied and multiple skill sets — self-control, grit, and more
● Extraordinary high levels of productivity
● Accountability
● Tolerance, patience, and vision
Grit. Grit. Grit
Grit is defined as strength of character. Resolve. Relentless fortitude.
As you go about launching the trajectory of your life with purpose and a clear path, you are no longer an ordinary person.
You’ve taken a leap of faith into the unknown.
As such, you are part visionary, part explorer, part adventurer, and part risk-taker. To take those risks, you can’t be meek, indecisive, lazy, reflective, and have low levels of risk-taking ability.
Further, you can’t just dream up something (anything) and hope to succeed with it.
● You’ll start thinking in ways you didn’t think before — connecting the dots, surveying demand, wondering what problems others have and how you can solve these problems creatively, and so on
● You’ll launch first and figure out the nitty-gritty later
● If you are bootstrapping, you’ll try to make your business work with the limited resources you have
Fancy executives backed by the deep pockets of the companies they work for can never replace your down to the ground, “nails to the wall”, and “in the trenches” approach.
If everyone else has resources and money, you’ll operate with nothing but the sheer strength of your vision, your dedication, and grit.
Determination Is Invisible (but makes you more than Visible)
To be successful and to thrive, you’d have to be made of stone or have the heart of a lion.
Determination is the single, overarching trait you’ll need. To push through, to keep your head afloat, and to even survive.
Your determination plays out in various scenarios as you go about running your life — in business, relationships, health, in your career, and more.
Most of it is going to be invisible to the rest of the world (and even your own family and friends). But there are visible playouts of determination all around you.
Pick any success story. You’ll know.
Go Superhuman (With everything): Normal won’t make it
If you desire even a modicum of success, you’ll wear superhuman skin. There isn’t going to be anything normal about you from the day your life changing journey begins.
The usual 9-5 routine won’t cut it. Sleeping in until later in the day (bad for you) and putting in less than the average 4-hour productivity (might just work) will ensure that you get washed out to your competition within months.
Success and “being normal” ain’t good friends.
No one will see or know about the sacrifices you’ll make or the effort you’ll put in. Most people won’t be able to see the grit, resolve, and determination you’ll work with.
But then, you’ll be the one laughing all the way to the bank (or trudge along the beach with the freedom feather in your cap), or live it to the 100s when it works out for you.
Are you ready to go super human yet? What are you going to do to break through self-imposed barriers? What will you do to push through in life, despite everything?
Comment below and share your thoughts.
I am Gordon Grigg and I am the catalyst that helps you reach your goals using what you have within you. I help you succeed in life and in business. I am a keynote speaker, a consultant’s consultant, and a life coach. It all starts with a simple conversation. Reach out to me if you have any questions.
