Have you ever tried to complete a goal but fallen at the first hurdle, or the second or even the tenth? Hurdles are a given on any path to any goal. There will always be costs involved in reaching a goal. You need perseverance to continue along your path. Perseverance to overcome the obstacles, challenges and disappointments you encounter on the way.
In parts one and two we have looked at belief, creating a high valued goal and splitting your goals into micro goals to create your daily system for success.
The next step is to identify, accept and prepare for the obstacles that we will face in our journey. It’s SO important to be aware of the ‘costs’ of following our goals before we start. This way we can have a realistic understanding of what we may need to sacrifice and work hard at. We need to predict what problems we may face. We must plan how to clear those upcoming hurdles before they arrive.
Step 1a: Change your perspective to see obstacles as challenges requiring solutions. Do not begrudge them. Don’t complain about every hardship but see them as opportunities to improvise. Learn to see the silver lining in each struggle. Repeat these mantras or write down something similar and pop it where you can see it daily
I embrace obstacles as opportunities for learning and growth
I use obstacles to make me stronger
I don’t see problems, I see challenges requiring solutions
“The best things in life don’t come easy, but those things are the ones worth the sacrifice" Author, Adriana Locke
Step 1b: Examine your goal be it to get fit, learn a subject, or become a better public speaker. Write down the potential obstacles. Then write down the potential positives and learning’s from facing each obstacle.
Let’s use the goal of trying to get fitter and lose X amount of weight for this example:
Step 2: Now you have identified the potential obstacles you can plan your strategy for overcoming them. Research shows that people who have a ‘go to’ plan for when challenges arise are much more likely to succeed.
Charles Duhigg in his book The Power of Habit cites a 1992 study by a psychologist working in 2 orthopedic hospitals in Scotland. The study followed the recovery process of 70 hip and knee surgery patients. Those patients who made step by step plans on how they would deal with the pain were much quicker at recovering. They had created go to plans when faced with potential obstacles ahead of time. This helped them to get over the hurdles in their path to recovery. So let’s do the same.
There is an organisation called WOOP MY LIFE that has a useful app that can help you with this step. The system is based on twenty years of research in the science of motivation. It goes like this:
“If… (obstacle), then I will … (action or thought).”
So for each potential obstacle you write down your go to action or thought. This is your plan per obstacle
EXAMPLES
“If I am hungry and want a snack, then I will go for one of the 3 healthy snacks I brought with me to work”
“If I feel unmotivated after work then I will take 3 deep breaths and stretch to help loosen up my body. I will then do a minimum of 20 minutes of light to exercise to give my body some movement for the day and re-evaluate how I feel after”
"If I don't want to get out of bed, then I will stand straight up, take the 10 steps to my bathroom and splash my face with water. I will put on my training clothes that I have left ready and go straight out of the house to run"
It sounds simple but the act of having a go to plan gives you direction without having to think in the moment.
Step 3. Alter your environment to support you to clear those hurdles. I wrote more about this here. But in short set up your environment to help you succeed at points of infliction
EXAMPLES:
If your kitchen is full of sugary treats then remove them, or if not possible, move them into a specific cupboard and create yourself a ‘healthy cupboard’ that you always head to first when feeling hungry
Always have your training kit ready to go so it’s quick to get out of the door. If you have to spend time collecting your stuff together every morning that is a point of infliction where you might lose motivation, or get distracted and go back to bed!
Simply alter your space to assist you in building your good habits!
Now you are nearly there! Just time to set yourself some feedback loops and rewards to keep you motivated. Go to Step 4: Feedback Loops and Rewards