I just started teaching a new class at Everest College this month – a Strategies for Success class. This class is required for all new students (fresh meat!). As a Life Coach, one of my passions is thinking about and implementing strategies for success in life, so this class has quickly become one of my favorite ways to spend a few hours during the week (seriously, I’m being paid to do what I would do at a coffee shop with my best friend…. I love my life). Anyway, on our first day, I asked the class to name some potential obstacles to their success as they transition into this new phase of their lives (starting a college program). Here were a few of their responses:
· Being surrounded by unsupportive people. This is a difficult obstacle, because most people in our lives have an incentive to maintain the status quo. They don’t want things to change (even if it’s a positive change). Your success will most likely create a lot of change in your life, and by extension, theirs. Our family or friends may want us to become our best self in theory, but the reality of that success may threaten the stability they enjoy in their lives.
· Negative thinking. Many of us are good at being positive when things are going well in our lives. But what happens when your life get difficult? Does your inner-monologue immediately become, “I can’t do this. I don’t know why I ever thought I could.” Or some other equally negative thought? I know personally, I’m my own worst critic. It’s hard to stay positive when things aren’t going the way I expected them to or would like them to. But this is one of the quickest ways to sabotage our success.
· Losing motivation. I always get really excited when I decide to make a big change in my life. I start planning on how I’m going to execute my new plan. I think about how wonderful life will be when I accomplish whatever goal I’ve just committed to. But inevitably at some point reality sets in and the details of my plan become more than I bargained for. At some point before completing whatever I’ve set out to do, things get difficult, and I think of all of the reasons why quitting sounds like a wonderful new plan. Clearly, a huge barrier to success.
· Getting bored. Another obstacle my students mentioned was boredom. I can relate to that. Sometimes life gets dull. Every once in a while, things just don’t seem as rosy as they once did. And trying to stay on track when you want to beat your head against a wall is not easy.
· Falling behind (not understanding or distraction). And the other big obstacle to success we discussed was falling behind, either because the work gets too difficult or because other priorities take precedence. This obstacle can arise whether you’re in a college classroom, at a new job, or have just taken on a new commitment.
Most of us are constantly working toward personal growth and creating a life that is meaningful to us. And as we continue on this journey, there are plenty of opportunities to get pulled off track for one reason or another. But hopefully by pinpointing the potential barriers to ending up where we want to be (wherever that may be), we can be more prepared if and when these obstacles arise. Next month we’ll talk about different ways to overcome these obstacles to success. In the meantime, consider your own obstacles to success. What is currently holding you back from creating the life you were meant to live?
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