Bumps In the Road vs. Roadblocks

Obstacles are opportunities to prove how bad you want it!

I posted the above statement on my social media pages last week and received some interesting responses.  Some understood it, but there were a few who were a bit confused.  Not quite sure of the confusion but anyone who is seriously committed to achieving a goal, the point should be loud and clear.
 
One of my favorite points to train on with high achievers is the “why” the reason why you're doing what you're doing.   How many times have you been around someone who had a big goal they were going to accomplish?  They pledge up and down this time they are going to do it. Soon as it gets difficult or comfortable, they quit.  The capacity to stop usually stems from the fact you don’t want it bad enough.  Somewhere along the road of life you lost your edge.  Let’s illustrate it this way. Remember when you were young and your parents promised you something you wanted. Let’s go with a double scoop vanilla ice cream cone. For a 6-year-old this is a much-craved and rare reward.  Not just one scoop but two!  After the promised had been made, you were on a mission do whatever it took to get it. We did not care what the chore was or how long it took to accomplish; we were getting those two scoops.
 
As high achievers, this is the same mindset you must have when pursuing your goals.  We must view the small (when you put them into perspective they are usually small) obstacles as “bumps in the road” and not “roadblocks.”  Their simple challenges to test whether this goal is important to us.  So how do we get through those “bumps in the road?”
 
Here are 6 steps that have worked for me when those obstacles show up.
 

1. Review the reason why you started in the first place and make sure it’s still important to you.  If not, you might have to find a stronger reason. Then put it on your smartphone, sticky note or somewhere to be a constant reminder.
2. What can you learn from each obstacle?  There’s ALWAYS a lesson somewhere, and by conquering it, chances are you’re sharpening your skills and strengthening your willpower.
3. Modify your plan or schedule if necessary.  There’s a plan written down somewhere right???
4. Get your mind right.  “The body will do what the mind tells it to do.”
5. Execution with a higher level of effort.  We know when we’re dogging it. The amount of effort you put into it is YOUR responsibility.
6. Celebrate your success and then reward yourself for the behavior you looking to reinforce

 
We all know the path to success is not a smooth ride down the freeway. There will be lots of other cars on that freeway not making it easy to arrive at your destination in a timely fashion.  So expected the obstacles, embrace them and then just drive right through them!

Feel free to share this post as well as share your thoughts in the comments section below. 


Stay Positive,

JJ