Persevering Obstacles - The Art of Tearing Down Walls

Personally and professionally, most people encounter obstacles in their paths to growth and success. There are times when the size and number of roadblocks can overshadow your vision, making goals and projects seem insurmountable. It is much easier to step over a molehill, than to climb Mt. Everest.

Being able to assess, adapt and overcome are important qualities for individuals and teams to succeed at conquering difficulties. The manner in which we approach situations often dictates their outcome. Many of the obstacles faced in life can be resolved by applying systematic processes to achieve our goals.

Define and understand the goal; be clear in your visions and understanding of the things you wish to achieve. Write it down and make it a fact, something you can look at daily, to keep yourself in check.

Know where you are; assess your current position with accurate understanding of abilities and available resources. Making a list of your resources will help to define where you are.

Break it down; dissect large roadblocks in to smaller, more manageable portions that can be measured and accomplished. Find a way to break down your projects into small pieces and set a goal to tackle them one at a time. And don’t forget to reward yourself, whether it’s a good stretch, or a nice meal.

Be flexible; there may be several paths that lead to the success of your overall end desire. Allow yourself to be open to change. If things aren’t flowing for you, take a look at other options. Are you missing an avenue you could be pursuing? Is there another way to reach your goals?

Move; nothing gets done without action. Great ideas never manifest into results without taking steps to accomplish them. Some just take organization. Some take more. It is good to know where you would like to go, but if you don’t propel yourself toward that goal, you will never get there.

Learn; measure the value of your efforts and determine what worked and what did not. Knowledge from failure one day may lead to succeeding the next. The difference between failure and success is your outlook. Did you fail miserably? Or did you see something you overlooked that, when corrected, will make your product stronger in the market?

Often it is the journey and not the destination that leads to the greatest personal development. Taking time to stop and assess your situation will keep you on track when you feel yourself starting to lose sight. When we strive to continue to learn and grow, the walls encountered today easily become stepping-stones to the next level.

Learn from the past, use that knowledge today and it will lead to the accomplishments ahead. History may dictate who we are by experiences we have had, but it does not command the person we may become. Each new day can be approached as an adventure awaiting our discovery, or a chore we would rather avoid. The journey of growth can be a long and personal one, but when striven for and not labored after, the results can be amazing.