The blessing of obstacles

When we set out to meet a goal, no matter how big or small, there are always challenges. If this were not the case there would be no need to set a goal. We could just have what it is that we want with no effort whatsoever. But sometimes, for whatever reason, we lose sight of our goal and stop focusing on it.

Then for some reason something happens. Someone else notices that our life would probably be better if we accomplished that goal and they suggest it to us. Maybe they know you had that goal before and maybe they do not. They just see the improvement to your life associated with the accomplishment of the goal.

You start to think about it and on some level you agree with them. But, that is when the excuses start.  You come up will all the reasons why you can not or could not do it. A good friend will stand by you and shoot them down one by one until you start to get to the real reasons why you failed to accomplish your goal.

All of the things that a person can say as justification for failure  really translate into, the result is not important enough for me to do everything possible to ensure success.I forgot really means, it has not been important enough to me to make sure that I remember. I don't have the time becomes, I have failed to set the time aside. I do not know how turns into, I have not put the time into learning how. I can not afford it becomes, I have not come up with and enacted a plan for raising the money.

Every excuse that a person comes up with, every challenge, every stumbling block is in fact the very beginning of a personal blueprint for success. And for each person, the excuses that they come up with are exactly perfect for their success. My excuses for not having a million dollars in my bank account are not the same as yours(and I am working through mine)

Say you have a friend that wants to be a doctor. You tell them how wonderful that is and ask why they have not accomplished that goal. They tell you that they know quite a bit of schooling is necessary and they are bad at taking tests. Your friend knows that they can not have this dream come true due to this fact. They have taken this limiting belief and used it to close the door on their dream.

Being a good friend you could help them eliminate this belief and reopen that door. How? Well you could start off by suggesting that they begin to change their mind set by changing the words they use both out loud and in their head. Perhaps they could say that up until this point they have been bad at exams but they are taking steps to change that. Then figure out why they are bad at taking tests. Is it the fact that many of them are timed? Is it because they are bad under pressure? Is it because they really do not know the material? The answer to each one of these questions gives you a springing off point for how to handle the issue.

Then  maybe it comes up that your friend thinks nobody believes your friend is smart enough to be a doctor. You obviously do or you would not be inclined to help your friend pursue this dream. You could find out where this limiting belief comes from and create a plan to overcome it. After that it comes out that school is too expensive. Then a conversation about student loans, grants and other forms of financial aid can be had.  After you work through that you say what else is stopping you?  And wonder of wonders, you friend has no more excuses.

Verify that they do in fact still want to be a doctor. If they say yes inform them that their dream is still a possibility. If the things that your friend has discussed with you are the only things holding them back, they can use their conversation with you to create a workable plan for having their dream come true.Explain to them the importance and necessity of obstacles. Without them we would have no direction in forming a plan to help us succeed in getting where we want to go. On our way to the heights, we need pitfalls. They weed out those that are not committed and help us truly appreciate our success.