There is no person in the world that doesn’t experience any problems, challenges and setbacks, be it big or small. If there is such a human, I say right away -“me jealous!” 
But for our typical folk many different obstacles are the norm – no matter how perfect a plan we manage to create, something unexpected is bound to happen one way or the other.
However, how we deal with them when they show up influences what we manage to accomplish. And here comes the question from the title.
How do you deal with the obstacles in your life?
I’m not referring to the big things we are bound to meet on our path, that can change the course of our lives. Nope, I’m asking about the little stuff – delivery running late by a day, a cold you can’t seem to shake no matter what you do, an annoying coworker who wants something from you every five minutes when you need to focus or a night that can’t be called slept through. And those are the things we face almost every day.
So, how do you handle them?
The way we deal with those “little things”, the ones that can send more than one person into a frenzy, is directly linked to what we manage to accomplish, create, make happen… Why?
It’s simple and painfully obvious for most of us (even though what we know and what we do are not always the same) – if even the smallest of the small drives you nuts, irritates you, leads you to an urge to drop it all or makes you work on your projects and dreams with reluctance and anxiety, your productivity and the quality of what you create is much lower, as you allow the anger, irritation, being annoyed and other negative emotions to transfer into what you’re working on. If you haven’t already watched yourself when working in an agitated, negative emotional state – I encourage you to see what and how you do It might open your eyes.
What other choice do we have?
If, however, we can distance ourselves from those things and situations, focus on what is most important, say ‘no’ when we need peace and quiet, modify our plan of action to minimise the delay in next phases of the project, smile to ourselves and remind ourselves why we do what we do, not loosing track of what matters to us even for a moment – we can see and approach those little, pesky things from a different angle, one with a much more positive outlook
Because… so what your colleague wants something from you all the time, if you can tell him that you need some quiet time right now, but you can chat after work (if you like him enough to meet after hours, that is 
).
So what that you have a runny nose and a sore throat, if you can focus on your health more for a few days, not only getting better, but also pampering yourself and getting back to work with renewed energy and passion.
So what that the materials came a little late, if you can spend that time finishing up or preparing other stages of your project and then focus on production, and at the same time learn to include one or two additional days for unexpected delays in your plan for the next one.
A lesson here, a lesson there…
In every situation there is something we can learn – in these examples better planning, setting up boundaries in our relations or paying closer attention to the signals our body sends before we get sick. When, instead of panicking and complaining, we approach the issues with calmness, we can gain not only a better understanding of the situation and our reactions, but also inner peace which is priceless in today’s crazy busy times
And I’m not saying we can do it all the time – each and every one of us can sometimes get sucked into the spiral of madness reacting negatively, cursing, giving up, moaning or telling yourself and everyone that will listen “why it won’t/don’t/didn’t work out again”, but it’s worth looking at those small obstacles from a distance, remembering the reason behind all our actions
And our ‘why’ is the biggest and the best motivator, isn’t it?
And how do you deal with all the annoyances, obstacles, difficulties and challenges that show up on your way to making your dream come true? Share them in the comments or send me an email!
Wishing you a fabulous, fabulous day!
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