Raise Your Mood By Overcoming Obstacles

We have goals — things we want to accomplish. And we really do want to accomplish them; we’re not trying to fool anyone or pump things up. But sometimes we give up on our goals. Why?

All goals have obstacles to their achievement, things in the way. These are problems or difficulties we meet on the way to the goal that we must handle in order to achieve the goal.

What makes us give up is when it looks like we won’t be able to overcome the obstacles. They seem too big or too numerous. When we feel sure we can’t do it, we tend to give up.

What are the alternatives to giving up? Below are three. They are stated simply. Please do not discount them because of their brevity or simplicity. The fact that they are stated simply and briefly merely makes them easier to use and therefore more powerful, not less.

Get help. There are people who want to help you. Enlist their aid. The more help you get, the sooner you’ll succeed.

Tackle the obstacles one at a time. When you try to tackle all the obstacles, or just look at all the obstacles at the same time, it can overwhelm you. The feeling of being completely outgunned can take the wind out of your sails before you even get started. Pick one obstacle — an easy one — and tackle that first. Don’t even think about the rest of them. It’s likely that after you’ve tackled one obstacle, you’ll be in a better, stronger position to handle the next one, and so on.

Get some training or knowledge that will make you more able to deal with the obstacles. Read, study, practice. As you gain in ability, the obstacles shrink in comparison.

Next time you are overwhelmed by obstacles, try one, two, or all three of these alternatives to giving up. You’ll find they work. Using them, you’ll discover new strength and zeal to keep your dream alive and accomplish your goal.

The article above is a chapter from Principles for Personal Growth.

Adam Khan is the author of Self-Help Stuff That Works and Cultivating Fire: How to Keep Your Motivation White Hot. Follow his podcast, The Adam Bomb.