7 Common Obstacles to Success and How to Move Past Them

What gets in the way of success?  Common obstacles include:

1. Fear – fear of failure or fear of success
2. Confidence – lacking belief in self and abilities
3. Passion – lack of interest
4. Commitment – limited or no commitment
5. Time – the time to do what it takes
6. Habits – easy to stay with existing routines
7. Procrastination – waiting for the right time that seems to remain in the future

How can you move past these obstacles?

1. Fear – ask yourself what the worst, best, and most likely outcomes are and then decide how long to hang on to the fear.
2. Confidence – list the seven biggest successes you have had, list five positive qualities about yourself, list three strong skills you have, list eight nice things people have said to you or done for you, list the people that support you, rate yourself on your level of commitment and passion. Look at what you have written and choose whether to stay where you are or move forward.
3. Passion – explore reasons for caring and reasons for not caring. Compare the two and choose whether to let it go or to act on it.
4. Commitment – on a scale of 1 to 10 rank importance, urgency, level of effort, level of impact, and value. Review these ratings and choose whether to let it go or follow-through.
5. Time – list the steps it will take to accomplish what you want. Note how much time each step will take.  Put the steps on a timeline.  Evaluate how you can create the time for your goal over time and plan.
6. Habits – list habits that get in the way of accomplishing what you want and habits that help you achieve it. Choose whether to keep limiting habits or achieve the success.
7. Procrastination – list the reasons for procrastinating. List the reasons for acting.  Choose which to do.  If you decide to act, choose whether to do the hardest thing first, the easiest thing first, or go for the quick win first.

Sometimes these processes work for people and sometimes your best move is to engage a coach.  A trained coach serves as your partner for you to explore, think, choose, strategize, plan, and design actions.  The research shows the value of having a coach as your partner – the choice is yours.