It seems like every time I turn around there’s another obstacle in my way. You may be wondering how to find opportunities for growth in your obstacles.
Right now, it feels like the obstacles are piling up, doesn’t it? And it can be so frustrating when you feel like you’re trying your best and still not making progress.
This is a truth that has been discovered by many people throughout history, but you have to be willing to see things differently in order to find a way out.
Understand that the opportunity you seek is behind the obstacle, and except you go through the obstacle you can not see clearly and will not develop the skill you need to attract the opportunity. But how you see your obstacle will depend on the perception through which you are looking.
It’s normal to feel frustrated and angry at first, but once you calm down, you might find that obstacles can open up a new perspective. It might not be the road you chose, but following the path of the obstacle can create a new opportunity
So, it’s ok if your desire or plan does not work, instead of allowing yourself to draw in negative emotions, think about it a different way. I am not just saying have a positive mindset, you have to do something positive with the obstacle.
Your opportunity is behind the obstacle.
Learn from it, grow with it, apply the learning to your life, do something with your failures, ask for and accept help, possibly there is something you are not doing right that someone else might be able to help you with.
When something bad happens and you face an obstacle, nice people around you will encourage you to look on the bright side. I found myself recently faced with an obstacle and realized that it is so hard to be positive when you don’t know the steps or the actions to take.
Maybe you’re wondering, how do I take a step forward? You want to try your best, and you want to give it your all. Truth is the opportunity is always there, you just have to find it. Understand that the opportunity is behind the obstacle, and you’ll be one step closer to achieving your goals if you can take the right step.
If you’re faced with an obstacle you’re stuck. You don’t know what to do or how to move forward. You may have tried looking on the bright side, but it’s just not possible when you feel so lost.
Taking a step forward can be hard, but it’s not impossible. If you’re feeling lost and don’t know where to start, in this blog I will share 10 ways to turn your obstacles into opportunities.
I found a way to take a step forward even when I couldn’t see the path in front of me. It wasn’t easy, but with time and patience, I was able to find my way.
In his book, “The Obstacle is the way” Ryan Holiday stated, “Whatever we face we have a choice, will we be blocked by obstacles, or will we advance through and over them?”
1. See the obstacle as temporary, stand up and pursue the hidden opportunity
See the obstacle as temporary. It’s only blocking your path for a short time, and soon enough you’ll be able to move on past it.
Don’t let it stop you from achieving your goals. Stand up and pursue the opportunity by choosing to be objective. Put away your feelings and personal opinions and look closely into the obstacle that is in front of you. There is a common proverb that says, there are likely 7 solutions to every problem. Being objective means that you see the obstacle as temporary.
When you stand up and face your obstacles head-on, you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve. By choosing to be objective and looking at the problem from a different perspective, you’ll find that there are many solutions to every problem.
2. Check your attitude by controlling your emotions
We all know that our emotions play a huge role in how we act, but it’s not always easy to control them. Emotions like frustration, confusion, anger, and fear can hold us back from achieving our goals. Checking your attitude by controlling your emotions is an approach that will help you take action and achieve your goals.
Instead of allowing yourself to remain in frustration, confusion, anger, or fear, practice new skills, that will be beneficial for you in the long run. No matter how angry you get or how depressed you are nothing happens until you resist the invisible enemy holding you down by taking the actions you are able to take.
When your emotions are out of control it can be difficult to think clearly or make good decisions. Practicing new skills will help you gain more control over your emotions so that they don’t control you.
Click here to get access to a guide that will help you learn how to manage their anger, frustration, and fear in a positive way through 4 steps.
3. Think on good things to remove the anxiety and calm your nerves.
We all know that anxiety can be incredibly debilitating, but it’s hard to think positive thoughts when we’re feeling down. It feels like every time we turn around there’s something new to worry about. The news is depressing, our relationships are strained, and work is overwhelming. It’s easy to feel like we’re stuck in a never-ending cycle of stress and anxiety.
Yes, I know that you are dissatisfied, everything is not going as planned. But right now, what you need most is self-control and patience. This is the only way you can fight and win over the obstacle. Take what is holding you back and use it to grow your mindset, and move you forward.
Think about good things to remove the anxiety and calm your nerves. Because you were rejected, outmatched, or ignored doesn’t mean that’s all you’ve got, there are so many other great things about you, that are noble, right, true, lovely, and admirable.
There is hope! By thinking about good things, we can start to calm our nerves and get back on track. By focusing on the good things in our lives – even when things are tough – we can find peace and happiness once again.
4. Ignore what limits others, consider that you are different.
How many times have you wanted to do something then you consider whether someone else has ever tried it before? You call it a disadvantage because “people like you are always treated that way”. Well, if you want to see the opportunity behind the obstacle, you have to ignore what disturbs and limits others, and consider that you are different.
Instead of saying “this is not for me” choose to say, “I was created for this” and I will use this to improve myself. I think a lot of times we give up too easily and don’t learn that extra skill, or quality that will take us over the edge.
Most successful people don’t often share their complete stories. But we have some that have shared their journey and we all can resonate with them because they overcame obstacles to create their opportunities. At the point of transition, if there is one thing they did, it was considered that they are uniquely different, uniquely able, and uniquely capable.
5. Learn, unlearn and relearn – form a new perspective
Some of us come from very battered cultures and backgrounds, so we have learned to be frustrated and angry when things don’t go our way and when we have unmet expectations. We have learned helplessness; we have learned to focus on negative emotions of fear and shame.
It’s ok, we can’t shy away from who we were, but we can choose who we want to be.
Your obstacle can help you carve a new path, something different that you had never thought about, something much better than the thoughts and plans that you originally had.
It’s hard to focus on the opportunity when you’re constantly struggling with obstacles, and most of the time, It feels like every time you try to take a step forward, an obstacle pops up in your way and you can’t seem to catch a break.
The opportunity is always there, no matter how big the obstacle may seem. The more you struggle, the harder it seems. When you understand this, then nothing can stop you from reaching your goals.
When you understand that the opportunity is behind the obstacle, then suddenly everything becomes clear. You can see past the problem and onto what lies ahead. All of a sudden, the opportunity is in plain sight. Then you can choose to put in your energy and inspire creativity as you learn, unlearn, and relearn.
6. Be internally motivated to reach your goal despite the obstacle.
Our passion drives us to achieve our goals and most of the time when we are passionate about something we believe that we are too good, and we do not ever think about “something going wrong”.
We end up allowing our passion to control the rest of our life. What if you are able to learn another passion? What if you can be better at something else? Something different from what you are currently good at. You can choose to diversify your passion so that you can navigate towards other goals despite the obstacle.
But when you are internally motivated to reach a goal despite the obstacle, you will open up yourself to developing a new passion, ultimately creating a new opportunity, and success.
Let’s say you love your job and you’re great at it, but you’ve always wanted to try your hand at being an entrepreneur. The obstacle you may face is, it’s tough to leave the security of a steady paycheck to strike out on your own, especially when you don’t know if your new business will be successful.
But deep within you, you are motivated to do whatever it takes, even if it means learning a new skill or pursuing a different interest. You are internally motivated to maintain focus and keep moving forward even when things get tough.
The feeling you have when faced with an obstacle is the same feeling you have when you don’t know where to start building success in your career or life. You feel lost and uncertain about your future because you are seeing an obstacle.
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