Overcoming Obstacles: Turn Them Into Growth Opportunities
Obstacles often come when we’re pushing forward, and they can make progress feel impossible. We sometimes mistake these obstacles as signs to stop, but more than likely they are opportunities to clean up some past messes or tests to see if you are truly committed to your BIG Dream.
I call these obstacles Shift-Storms™. Just take out the “f” and that’s what they feel like! You take a step forward and trip over the sh-tuff you’ve forgotten to take care of (or avoided more likely) and you have to deal with it before you can continue on. But I have learned that all that shi-t is just fertilizer for the new growth of your BIG Dream.
Recognize Shift-Storms™ as Opportunities for Growth
These obstacles are an opportunity to clean up your side of the street, clear out what no longer serves, and refresh your space…mentally, emotionally, spiritually, as well as physically.
Think of it like clearing out that one room, closet, or drawer. You know the one…the one that ALL the stuff goes into when you don’t know where to put something? Yeah, THAT one. When you finally decide what that space will be used for, you open the door and become instantly overwhelmed at the amount of CRAP that’s in there and wonder if it’s even worth it…but Aunt Mabel is coming to visit and you need the space for her occupy.
So, you pull ALL the sh-tuff out and have to deal with it before she shows up. Some of it is just too hard to deal with in the moment, so that goes into another space. Some of it you’re excited to see again, “Oh THAT’S where that was!” Other things bring up ALL the emotions, and you have to sit and cry for a minute. And then there are those things you look at and wonder… “What the heck was I thinking???”
Overcoming Obstacles Starts With Clearing Space
But you push through all of that, because it’s important to you that Aunt Mabel has a comfortable space…it’s important to you. The same is true when going for your BIG Dream. When it’s important to you, you will work through all the sh-tuff, clean up your side of things, clear out the trash, and make the space for all the good things to show up and be comfortable.
And those things that were too hard to deal with, they come back out when there is a safe place and time to really look at them, piece by piece. These items my take a while to sort through…the trauma, shame, lack of permission…until you gain the strength and confidence in what you’re doing to step beyond them and into your new chapter, living your most authentic life, and charging forward towards your BIG Dream.
Commitment Is the Key to Overcoming Obstacles
Granted, going for your BIG Dream will bring up more than just a room full of stuff. It will push the boundaries of your belief in yourself. It will bring up all the confidence building emotions. And it will bring you face to face with all the push-back from family, friends, and society that say you can’t or shouldn’t. There are boundaries to step over, walls to break down, and beliefs to dismantle…because what got you here, won’t get you there.
BUT…If your BIG Dream is solid and you are willing to do the work to make it happen, you will choose commitment over convenience every time. You will do the work, even if it sucks, to push through and make your BIG Dream, even if it’s just a room to clear, happen.
When you face life’s Shift-Storms™, it’s easy to forget why you started in the first place. But beneath all that clutter and chaos lies the seed of your next breakthrough. Once you clear the space, your BIG Dream begins to take root again.
If you’re ready to reconnect with what truly lights you up, download Discover Your BIG Dream: A Guided Visualization. This free meditation will help you move beyond the obstacles, tap into your inner clarity, and take the next inspired step forward.