Obstacles are your friends. They help you identify those areas that are holding you back, things which you need to overcome and potentially even those things that you need to re-think and/or re-strategize about.
The good news about obstacles is that they are usually something you can overcome. And if not overcome, then at the very least strategize about ways to get around them. Even if they appear to be ‘mountains,’ they are usually not that high. (In this world, there is only one Mt. Everest, but many other nameless hills.) And if they are too high for you to leap over? Simply figure out how to get around them.
What do I mean? I mean if you find yourself continually trying (and failing) to lose those same 20 pounds, it’s a good opportunity to analyze the obstacles which are preventing you from accomplishing that goal. Rather than feel glum or get depressed, instead think about what very real things happened that hindered you from your weight loss. Did you find yourself hungry at specific times of the day? Did you find your snacking was out of control? Did you discover your workout wasn’t tough enough to get the job done? Did you find that additional stress caused you to eat more and move less?
Was it that extra bag of Doritos that you failed to account for in your kitchen cabinet? Did you notice you ate more when you went out to eat? Did you find your favorite foods contained more calories than you thought? Or did you find out the treadmill bored you to tears?
It’s easy enough to see why we gain weight (most of us eat too much), but it’s a much harder proposition to discover why we can’t lose that same weight. But if you were to say, log your calories and moods for about a month, I’m pretty sure you would begin to uncover the secret and not-so-secret obstacles to your success.
Most people eat more when they are either out or with family or friends. Many people walk lethargically on the treadmill and don’t burn enough calories to justify the amount they’ve eating (1 Krispy Kreme Glazed Donut = 200 calories = 2 miles on the treadmill!). People are often surprised to find out how many calories are in their favorite meals (1 cup spaghetti (no sauce) = 173 calories vs. Olive Garden Dinner Portion Fettuccine Alfredo – 1220 calories!!).
A lot of folks have problems with snacking – and with a small bag of Doritos at 250 calories 6 oreos clocking in at 270 calories – having two or three snacks like these per day can quickly add up. Finally, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that stress generally causes people to eat more.
This is what I mean by real, live obstacles. So, rather than looking at your weight loss efforts as a failure, you can instead choose to focus on the strategies that will help you overcome these obstacles (eat out less, pack healthier snacks, burn at least 300 calories per workout, etc.).
You can apply this thinking to every facet of your life.
Say you can’t seem to get a promotion at work or find a job that pays you well. You analyze your situation and realize your competitors have at least Master’s degrees (and you don’t), you don’t have the right network who could potentially introduce you to somebody who is hiring, you don’t speak very well, you don’t appear to be very confident, you complain loudly about your job to anyone who listens or you’re unable to work very long hours (which everyone else appears to be doing).
So you decide to get your Master’s degree, get out to meet new people to increase your personal network, take speaking classes (or join Toastmasters), seem more positive and team-oriented about your job and maybe even look for a career in a profession that has reasonable working hours.
See what I mean? Instead of thinking of yourself as having failed at something, instead figure out what obstacles prevented you from achieving success.
Identify your obstacles and strategize about ways to overcome them or go around them.
Don’t take obstacles personally – understand that everyone has them – and resolve to do whatever it takes to put them behind you.
In the end, you will end with a life that is a much better fit for you. You will gain an understanding of not only what works and what does not work for you. And you will increase your problem-solving abilities and generally be a more positive, proactive person.
And who wouldn’t want that?
Now you try it!
Comments