Overcoming Obstacles

Overcoming obstacles is easier than we make it.

For every obstacle standing between you and your authentic life, there is a simple “formula” to break it down, no matter how intimidating the obstacle may appear. 

I recently learned this formula during the EVOKE training with the Kinder Institute of Life Planning, so this is not my original formula, but I will be using it for my Self and with clients going forward–who knows, in time I might remix it a little bit but I think it’s so perfect, I’ll always use it as it was taught to me.

Whenever you find your Self stuck behind an obstacle, as your Self four simple questions:

“What?”
“How?”
“When?”
“Who?”

What can you do about the obstacle in your way?

How will you do this?

When will you do it?

Who do you need help from?

That’s it.

Answer those questions, and you have a plan for how you are going to move past the obstacle in your way; depending on the size of the obstacle, there may be a series of these four questions to work through, but as long as you keep answering the four questions you’ll keep moving forward.

The more simple the answers, the easier it will be.

Let’s take a look at a quick example to show how this formula can be applied:

My goal: To become a paid public speaker

Obstacle: The only opportunities in front of me are free panels and breakout sessions at financial services conferences

What: Create my own speaking opportunities to share my message, get in reps, and allow people to see me as a speaker.

How: The Keep Pursuing Series

When: Five talks completed by the middle of December

Who: The owners of Geist Coffee (to have a venue) & Tyrone, Samuel, Nisiar, Ashby, and Jeremy (accountability, although I don’t think I’ll need it)

To bring the Keep Pursuing Series to life, I had to apply the formula more than once; for example, I needed to document the talks, which led me to find my photographer and videographer, Morgan. 

By breaking down the obstacle that was (and still is) in front of me, I could begin taking action to obliterate that obstacle—in due time, there will be no obstacle of obscurity keeping me from being a public speaker. I’ve been talking about my goal of being a paid public speaker for years now, but I’ve only had a few engagements where I was paid, and the reason for that was I was doing nothing about the obstacle that stood between me and my goal.

If only I had known about the “formula” before.

I can’t go back in time, and neither can you, but we can both break down any obstacle before us more confidently and easily from now on.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC